Endless Darkness
by Half Baked Destruction
Summary: There have always been secrets about Nao's life that she could not figure out. One day, a month after the events of the carnival, Nao loses her awakened mother. Will someone be able to save her from insanity? What are these secrets about? NaoxNatxShiz
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own jack squat!… Only his brother…

**A/N**: Konichi wa, mina! I'm going to be taking a quick brake from my other story (Mai HiME - The Angel Chronicles) and start a new one. Honestly though, I can't take all the credit for this story. This story was inspired by another story called "Shades of Gray" that was written by 'Tremalkinger'. It's a very great story and you should look it up sometime. I also am making this story so there is something else to read besides endless ShizNat and their homosexual ups and downs (No sexual pun intended). Anyway, onto the story! :D

Note: A word of warning. Well, more of a piece of useful information actually. I should say that this is not your normal love story. There will be parts that will shock/leave you in question. Don't worry, I promise not to make it suck. There will be the right amount of love and drama that you all love. So please, give it a chance. Now, enjoy!

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Endless Blackness

Chapter 1 - Why do you hate me?

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The wind howled which caused rain to continuously pelt the window which was the only noise that could be heard throughout the dark dorm room. Lighting flashed across the sky, causing it to illuminate the room. A redheaded girl sat at the table in the small kitchenette.

There were tissues scattered over the table and tilled floor where the girl sat. "why…?" She slowly asks herself with. "Why does the world hate me?"

She slowly sat up, watching as her hand claw into the table. "Why do I have to suffer like this?" These words asked and received no answer. "It's not enough that she was asleep for such a long time, but now this…" The girl slowly pulled herself up out of the chair.

She made her way into her bathroom and looked into the mirror. Staring deep into green, bloodshot eyes. She ran her hand over her face, try to hold bad tears of sadness and fury. "Everyone got what they wanted…" She though and twisted the "cold" knob of the sinks faucet. As the water went from a slow trickle to a fast stream, the girl cupped her hands in it.

"_Mai got Tate and that mutt got that psychotic bitch…_" She splashed the water on her face and looked back into the mirror. "_But why… I did my fair share of suffering, didn't I?_" The girl sluggishly walked out of the bathroom and shifted her sight over to the table. There was a news paper covered in used tissues.

The girl picked the paper up, causing the tissues to fall to the ground. The paper read 'Women killed in car accident, Yuuki Akemi'. She cringed her teeth and crumpled the paper as tears began to slide down her cheeks. "Why does this world hate me…? Why…? Why do you hate me, mama?" She asks, curling onto the floor and begins to cry.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki leaped up from her slumber on her couch as a flash of lighting and a clap of thunder awoke her. Sweat draping her face, she slowly made her way into a sitting position. "Damn,I did it again." She thought as she wiped the sweat off of her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She was wearing a black T-shirt followed by old worn out blue jeans.

"I need to quit dozing off like that…" Natsuki got off the couch and yawned, scratching her stomach. Turning her head, Natsuki looked at a clock that was fastened onto the walk. It read '7:03 P.M.'. "Come to think of it, I am kind of hungry." She commented and let out another yawn.

Natuski dragged her feet across the ground as she made her way to the small kitchen of her apartment. She opened the fridge door and poked gazed into the vast emptiness of her refrigerator shelves.

"That's what I forgot to do today…" Natsuki said and she let out an irritated chuckle. "Takeout it is."

Once she picked up the cordless phone off of her small table that was at the end of her kitchen, she punched in a series of numbers. Once she was done with ordering her pizza, she wobbled back the her couch and grabed her T.V. remote and turn it on.

The clock ticked away as she mindlessly clicked the remote, changing the channels. Each click began to become synchronized with the clocks ticks. This quickly irritated Natsuki which caused her to bring her head up and glared at the clock.

Just then, her cell phone rang. It was sitting on her coffee table that was in front of her couch. Natuski leaned over and flipped the cell phone open to see who it was. "Shizuru?" Natuski questioned as she gazed at the name on her caller ID. "I though she said she wouldn't be able to call because of her classes."

A month has passed since the HiME festival ended, Natsuki somehow managed to change Shizuru's mind about staying behind and helping her with her studies. So Shizuru went off to Tokyo University. Natsuki didn't really like the idea of long distance relationships, but she felt even more uncomfortable with Shizuru pestering her ever hour on the hour.

She clicked the talk button and put the phone to her ear. "Hello, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked. "Ara, Natsuki-han." After hearing the Kyoto girls voice, Natsuki let a smile creep onto her face. "What's wrong, you don't sound very good." Shizuru said which made Natsuki's nervously chuckle.

"Oh… I'm fine. It's just I forgot to go shopping today and I'm waiting on dinner to arrive." She said and turned the T.V. off. "Besides, I thought you said that you would be able to call because of your classes."

"Lucky for me, they got cut short." Shizuru said over the phone. "By the way, have you heard anything about Nao-chan's mother?" Shizuru asked, her voice turning from cheery to concerned. "Her mother? No, why?"

Shizuru was in her apartment sitting in one of her dinner chairs at her table. She held a newspaper up and in one of the sections, it read 'Women killed in car accident, Yuuki Akemi, in Fuuka.'. Apparently Nao-chan's mother was killed in a car accident a few days ago." Hearing this, Natsuki felt a shock run up her spine.

There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air. "Natsuki-han, are you there?" The Kyoto women asked over the phone, causing Natsuki to jump. "Oh, yeah. I'm still here." Natsuki looked down at her lightly shaded carpet.

"No, I haven't heard anything about that?" She said, scratching her head.

"Well, I hope Nao-chan is okay." Shizuru said and set the paper down onto the table. The doorbell of Natsuki's apartment rang, indicating the pizza guy was her with her food. "Oh, I'm sorry Shizuru. I'll have to call you back, my dinner's here." Natsuki said. "Okay, Natsuki-han. Make sure you take care of yourself and don't forget to go shopping tomorrow."

Natsuki just ignored the last sentence. She really didn't like being reminded of things that she knew full well of. She set down her phone onto the coffee table and walked over to the door.

Once she opened it and looked, there was no pizza guy, only Mai, Aoi and Chie standing outside of her apartment door. "What are you guy's doing here?"

X--X--X--X

**A/N**: Well, that's it for this chapter. Yes, I know it's short, but don't worry. The future chapters with be longer. Please remember to Read and review. I look forward to it. :P


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As stated in the previous chapter, I do not own this series… Just this story.

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Endless Darkness

Chapter 2 - Harsh Reality

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Natsuki stood at her doorway, staring at the three other girls with a look of confusion. "Natsuki, we need to talk." Mai said as she approached Natsuki. "About what?" Natsuki questioned.

Mai, Aoi and Chie pushed past Natsuki and made their way into her apartment. "Ah, so this is where Natsuki and Shizuru do their daily exercises." Chie jokingly said, making Natsuki blush. "Sh- Shut up. She's at Tokyo U and you should know that."

Chie just winked in response. "C'mon guys. This isn't the time to goof off." Mai said as she sat down on the sofa. "Yeah, something serious has happened." Aoi added. "So what's the matter?" Natsuki asked as she shifted her sight over towards Mai.

"Nao's missing." Aoi said and looked down towards the ground. "She went missing a few hours ago." Mai added and got up off the sofa. "We have been looking around town and came across your apartment complex." Chie said and pulled out her cell phone.

"It all started a few days ago when she got wind of what happened to her mother." Aoi said and started stroking her left arm. "When I heard about it, I thought how unfair that it was, as her mother just got out of a coma a month ago." Aoi added and looked back up at Natsuki. "Nao was a wreck. I tried to help her, but she just yelled and cursed at me. So I left her to herself in the dorm for awhile to be by herself."

"But once I got back, she was nowhere to be seen. Just a table full of used tissues an a crumpled newspaper on the floor." Aoi said. "But then… I found a letter. The only thing it had written on it was "Gone"." Aoi's voice began to crack up as tears welded up in her eyes. "I… I should have stayed and helped her."

Chie quickly went to Aoi's side. "Don't blame yourself for this, Aoi. It's not your fault." Chie said as she wrapped her arms around Aoi. "So you came here to ask for my help?" Natsuki asked as she turned her back to the others. "Yes. We were hoping you could help us search." Mai said and approached Natsuki.

Natsuki admitted that this was a little unfair to Nao for what happened, but she really never liked the girl all that much to care. "I'm sorry, but I can't." Natsuki replied and turned back around to face her friends. "I have things I have to do."

This was obviously a lie. The only thing Natsuki had to do was stuff her face with pizza… Once it arrived that is. Natsuki walked over to her door and opened it. "Now if you don't mind, I would like for all of you to leave." She said and leaned against the wall. "Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Aoi asked.

"Yeah, your help would be very useful." Mai added as she tried to change Natsuki's mind. "I'm sorry but, I can't." Natsuki said and waved hand towards her opened door, signaling her friends to leave.

Chie and Aoi walked out the door but once Mai got next to Natsuki she just shot a glare at her. "I can't believe you, Natsuki." Mai said in a whisper. "I know you don't like Nao all that much but I at least thought you would show a little concern. I guess I was wrong." Once Mai was finished, she walked out into the hall and joined her friends as they left the apartment complex.

Natsuki just stood there, hard as a rock. Hearing that from Mai, Natsuki actually felt guilty. She just shook it off and closed her door. "Gomen, Mai." Natsuki walked back over to her sofa. When she was about to sit down, the doorbell rang again. "_Great, Now what?_" Natsuki thought as she made her way back to her door.

She opened it to find a guy in a red shirt holding a pizza box. "Thank for calling. Here's your pizza." The man said, handing it to Natsuki. Once Natsuki finished paying the guy along with a tip, she set the pizza box down onto the table of her small kitchen. "Now I'm not even hungry."

Because of the words that Mai said, Natsuki didn't feel hungry anymore. Her stomach was filled with guilt. "Great! Now I feel like the enemy." She yelled and sat down in one of her dining chairs. "Maybe if I leave now, I can catch up to the others." Natsuki said as she stared at the pizza box.

Pushing the chair out, Natsuki got up and wondered over to the door and grabbed her black leather jacket that was hanging on one of the wall hangers. She put it on and felt inside the jackets pockets for her bike keys. Once she pulled them out, she ran out of her door and locked it behind her. "I guess I'll go get some fresh air to clear my head." She said as she made her way down into the parking lot where her bike resided.

X--X--X--X

The storm settled and Mai, Aoi and Chie walked down the sidewalk that was full of people. "So what should we do now? We've search almost every place that Nao would possibly be at." Aoi said as she stopped in her tracks. Mai just shook her head.

"I just hope she's alright." Aoi added. "Nee-san!" The three girls heard from behind them. The turned and found Takumi and Akira running up towards them. "Takumi! Did you find anything?" Mai asked as she Takumi and Akira finished catching up with the group. "Gomen. We looked everywhere but found no clue of where Nao-chan is." Takumi replied.

"What about you, Akira?" Aoi asked with a anxious tone. Akira just shook her head in reply. Akira herself never really liked Nao because of what she did during the festival, but if Takumi asked, she would do anything. That's why she's helping with the search.

The air was still for a little while, until a sound of an ambulance knocked the group back into reality. "Oh no. You don't think…?" Aoi asked with a concerned look. "Don't jump to conclusions, Aoi." Chie said and gave her girlfriends shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Still… I think we should check the hospital. Just incase she got hurt." Aoi replied. After a few minutes of debating on what they should do, they decided to go with Aoi's plan and headed for the hospital.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki rode drove down the road, next to the sea. She noticed up ahead, the cliff where Nao captured Natsuki and Shizuru came to save her. The motorcycle came to a halt at this area. There was a new rail in place where the old one was broken. Natsuki got off the bike and walked over to the railing.

"It's only been a month since that nightmare ended, huh?" She asked herself as she looked out into the endless, dark ocean. Natsuki then adjusted her gaze up towards the sky, looking at all the stars.

"I should have gone with. I might not like the girl, but…" Natsuki paused as she looked down towards where the sea met the Cliffside. "What the?" There was something the was the shape of a human floating in the water. "Oh man… That's not good." Natsuki said as she climbed over the railing.

Natsuki looked around and found a formation of rocks she could use like a latter and she began to climb down to the sea. Luckily, the tide receded which revealed some sand and rocks that she could use as footing. Once Natsuki got all the way down, she carefully made her way over the jagged rocks.

The body slowly washed up towards Natsuki's position which made it much easier for her. Natsuki reached down into the water and pulled the body up onto the rock. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Nao…" She muttered under her breath. Natsuki turned the redhead onto her back and checked her pulse. It was there, but barely and she wasn't breathing.

"Crap, this had to happen on my time didn't it?" Natsuki asked herself with a tone a frustration. "Let's see if I can remember how to do this…" Pinching Nao's nose closed, Natsuki slowly lower her mouth over Nao's. "_Here goes nothing…_" She thought.

Natsuki pressed her lips against Nao's, blowing air into her lungs. She then went down over her chest and started pushing down on it. "One… Two… Three… Four…"

Natsuki continued this cycle a few times, going back and forth from planting her lips against Nao's to anxiously pushing on her chest.

After a few more tries, Natsuki succeeded. Nao coughed up the water the was trapped in her lungs. Natsuki took a sigh of relief, but she knew she wasn't done. If Nao didn't get medical attention, she would surly die.

Natsuki wrapped Nao's arms around her neck and her leg around her waist. She wasn't going to be climbing that far so Nao should be okay as long as Natsuki wasn't going to do and shaking and quaking on their way up.

Once they got back up onto the cliff, Natsuki lugged the girl over towards her bike when she just relised, this isn't going to work. "Oh god damn it…" Natsuki said as she let laid Nao on the ground. "I can't drive a bike and hold a lifeless body at the same time."

"Guess I'll just call for an ambu-…" Natsuki stopped as she realized she didn't have her cell phone. She smacked her forehead in frustration, cursing herself for being so stupid.

"Okay, okay. You didn't know this would happen. Just calm down." As a few relaxing breaths were taken, Natsuki tried to think of a plan to get to the hospital. "Ma… ma…" Natsuki's sight shifted to the unconscious Nao on the ground. She scratched the back of her neck. "What am I going to do?"

Just then, Natsuki saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye. She quickly looked over her shoulder, excited that a car was coming. But it wasn't a car, it was lighting. There was another storm on it's way. Natsuki's right eyes began to twitch in irritation. She looked down at the ground, assessing the situation.

"_Shizuru, if there ever was a time that I really needed you to show up, it would be right now._" Natsuki though. She quickly looked up, hoping to see Shizuru and her white Cresta. There was nothing.

There was another flash of lighting, followed by a loud clap of thunder. "Alright I get it!" Natsuki yelled to no one in particular.

Natsuki picked the uncurious redhead up from the ground a lugged her over to the bike. "If I go slow enough, I should be able to keep her on the bike." She though and got onto the bike, wrapping Nao's arms around her waist.

"Here we go." Natsuki started the bike up and started down the road to the hospital at a slow pace.

X--X--X--X

It took almost and hour until they finally made it to the hospital. Natsuki pulled into the parking lot and turned off her bike. Then, the storm finally caught up as rain started to fall. Natsuki wrapped Nao's arm around her neck and pulled her into the hospital.

"Someone, this girl needs help!" Natsuki said as she let go of Nao and laid her onto the floor of the front area of the hospital. "My god. Doctor!" One of the nurses said as a few staff members ran over to Natsuki. "We'll take it from here." One of the doctors said as he and some others got Nao onto a stretcher and hauled her away.

Natsuki looked around the lobby for a pay phone. She had to let the others know the she found Nao. A line of payphones attached to the wall caught her eye and she jogged over to one of them.

Natsuki pulled out some coins from her right pants pocket, inserted them into the machine and punched in a series of numbers, hoping that she remembered Aoi's cell phone number. "Here it goes."

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**A/N**: Well, There's the second chapter. Hope you liked it. Chapter three should be on it's way soon. Please remember to find it in your heart to review. : )


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own this series. There. Happy?

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 03 - Broken will…

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Mai, Aoi and Chie sat in a restaurant. They had just left from checking the hospital when the storm rolled in so they sought shelter. "Well, that plan was a bust. When this storm clears, we should head home and continue looking tomorrow." Chie said as she took and took a sip of soda from her glass.

"But before that, we should notify the police." Mai added. Aoi just looked out the window they were sitting next to, watching the rain hit the ground when her cell phone went off.

This made her jump, causing her to hit the table and spilled the drinks. "Ah, Aoi!" Chie griped, grabbing some napkins to wipe the soda off of her dark blue blouse. "Gomen, Chie." Aoi apologized as she answered her phone. "Hello… Natsuki? What's wrong?" Aoi asked as a look of concern crept its way onto her face.

"What? But we just left from there." This caught Mai and Chie's ear and they began listening in on the conversation. "Yes, we'll be right there." Aoi said and hung up. "Nao's in the hospital."

"What? What happened?" Mai asked. "I'm not sure. All Natsuki said was that she's in the hospital and asked if we were able to come." She said and put the phone onto the table.

"I guess she was unsuccessful with offing herself." Chie said, getting out of her chair. "Chie!" Aoi yelled with an angry tone. "That's no way to talk. She's our friend for crying out loud." Chie just raised both her hands up in a defenseless manner and smiled lightly. "C'mon Aoi, I was just joking."

"That's no way to joke, Chie." Mai said and got out of her chair. "Come on. We have to make sure she's okay." Aoi said and headed out the door with the other two trailing behind her.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki hung the phone up, walked over to some of the chairs in the center of the lobby and sat down in one of them. She looked around the room and noticed that how unlovely it was. But this was a hospital so that's only natural.

A few minutes passed and Natsuki picked up a magazine that was on the table next to the chair. "Hmm, half off on designer lacy lingerie." Natsuki said to herself. As she flipped through the pages, someone approached her.

"Aren't you the girl who brought in that teenaged, female patient?" Natsuki heard a voice ask her. She glanced over the magazine to notice a female nurse that was roughly in her twenties.

Natsuki just nodded in response. "The doctor would like to see you. Please follow me." The nurse said and started walking to an elevator. Natsuki put the magazine back down onto the table and followed the nurse right into the elevator.

The nurse hit a button that read '7'. Once they arrived on the seventh floor, Natsuki followed behind the down a hallway of doors. They soon stopped at a door. Natsuki read the wall plate next to it and it read '717'. A man in a white overcoat came out of the room. He had a stethoscope around his neck and a chart in his hand. He looked to be about in his early thirties.

"So you're the one that brought this girl in, hmm?" The doctor asked with a friendly smile. "Yeah. What's wrong with her?" Natsuki asked. "Well, nothing serious. Just a lot of water intake." He replied. "We were wondering if you could tell us what happened." He added.

"I'm not sure. I just found her floating in the sea." Natsuki replied. "Ah. Well, you're free to visit with her, but I'm afraid she is still unconscious. Now if you excuse me, I have other patients to attend to." The doctor said and left with the nurse. Natsuki opened the door and entered the room. She saw Nao laying in a bed.

Natsuki slowly approached the sleeping girl and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "_What the hell were you thinking Nao?_" She thought, looking down upon the girl. Natsuki anxiously waited for the other three girls to arrive. Her foot began to tap against the ground.

"Uhng…" A grown came from the unconscious girl laying in the bed. "Is she coming to?" Natsuki thought, as she got up out of the chair. Nao slowly opened her eyes. At first it was bright, but then her eyes started to adjust.

"_Where am I?_" She though as she reached up and grabbed her head. "You okay?" Nao heard a voice from her right side. She spun her head to find Natsuki looming over her. One of the last people she would ever want to wake up to. "What the hell do you want?" Nao venomously asked Natsuki.

"Well, that's a nice greeting to your rescuer." Natsuki replied. Nao just looked in the other direction, averting Natsuki's look. "Go away." She hissed and clenched the bed sheets.

"Nao… I know we don't see eye to eye but tell me, what the hell were you trying to accomplish?" Natsuki asked, sitting back down in the chair. "I said GO!" Nao yelled, attempting to get rid of the cobalt headed biker.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what you were doing." She insisted. "Why the hell do you care. You'd never understand." Nao said, shifting her gaze back at Natsuki. Tears began to weld up in her eyes. "Just go away. I don't want to see you face." Nao said, turning her gaze back down to the sheets.

"Why do you have to be so difficult!?" Natsuki raised her voice in question. Nao didn't respond, she just sat there, looking down at her hands clench the bed sheets. "You think that committing suicide will fix everything? I thought you stronger then that Nao." Natsuki added, crossing her arms over her chest.

The redheaded girl looked back up at Natsuki, tears trailing down her cheeks. "What the hell is the point in living in a life that always takes and doesn't give back?" She said, her words as cold as ice. "So I figured why not end-" Her words were interrupted as Natsuki smacked Nao across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself, Nao!" Natsuki yelled, laying her hands on the redheads shoulders and gripping them tightly. "You say this as if everyone and everything's against you. I know you've lived a hard life but you have to see that there is more to life then just pain and misery." The biker said, hoping to fix Nao's current state.

Nao just looked in the other direction, averting Natsuki's eyes. Biting her lower lip, Natsuki let go of Nao and stepped back. "Fine! You know what, if you want to waste your life just because of some mishap then go ahead!" She yelled and stormed out of the room.

Nao just looked out the window of the room with deadened eyes as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. "It's always the same…" She whispered, laying her head on her pillow.

X--X--X--X

Aoi, Chie and Mai anxiously waited for the elevator that was located in the lobby of the hospital to arrive. Once it did, the door swung ajar, revealing and angry, cobalt headed girl. "Natsuki?" Mai jumped as she saw the look on the girls face. It looked as though she was about to kill someone.

"What's up, Natsuki?" Chie asked as Natsuki stormed past the three girls. "Hey, Natsuki! Wait!" Mai commanded as she grabbed Natsuki's shoulder, trying to stop the angry teen. "What?!" Natsuki scolded, glaring back at the three girls. Mai quickly released the girl and took a few steppes back.

"I- is Nao okay?" Mai nervously asked as she looked at the fury in Natsuki's eyes. "Tch… I could care less about that idiot!" She yelled and continued out of the hospital. "Well… That was queer." Chie said, glancing back and forth between Aoi and Mai.

As Natsuki made her way over to her bike, she ran every little moment of what just happened. She didn't know why she was so pissed at Nao. Maybe it was how weak and vulnerable Nao was acting or maybe it was that she hated looking at people that couldn't grasp the fact that life was full of pain and suffering.

As Natsuki stopped as she reached her bike, deep in thought about what happened. The rain let up and the clouds began to brake apart, revealing some of the stars that lingered in the sky. "I can't believe I said all that. Plus I took my anger out on the others." Natsuki smacked herself in the head, feeling like the worlds biggest ass.

"Man, what's wrong with me? I just probably made the situation worse." Natsuki decided that it was getting kind of late, so she mounted her bike and started it up. "Sorry guys. I'll leave Nao in your care for now." She said and took off on her bike.

X--X--X--X

Aoi, Chie and Mai arrived at Nao's room with a nurse accompanying them. "Okay, so we'll just see how she's doing and ask a few questions. Then we'll go." Aoi stated as she turned the door knob.

They walked into the room and found a bed with sheets covering a large lump. "Nao?" Aoi said, approaching the bed. "Are you okay?" She said as she let her hand slide over the lump.

"What the?!" Aoi gasped and ripped the sheets off the bed. All there was were a few pillow laying in the bed. "Oh no!" The nurse said and started towards the door. "Doctor!" She yelled on her way out.

"That's not good." Chie stated as she approached Aoi's side. All Aoi did was gazed down onto the pillows that laid on the bed. "_Nao… What's gotten into you?_"

X--X--X--X

**A/N:** That pretty much sums up this chapter. What's going to happen to Nao? Will Natsuki save Nao again? When will Shizuru finally arrive in this story? Only way to find out is to read the next chapter.

P.S. Sorry for the late release. I have had some things going on lately so I haven't found much time to spend on this story. Please also remember to review. Thank you for reading. D


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, I don't own jack and what not…

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 4 - Don't help me!

X--X--X--X

Nao slowly wondered down the street in her hospital night gown, passing up several people on the sidewalk as she made her way through the crowds. But even though she was bumping into the people, it was like she never existed. The people just walked past her, not even glimpsing at her.

Nao stopped and looked up into the sky, gazing at the stars. Though this did not change the look in her eyes, so cold and lifeless. Looking back down at the ground, she made her way through the crowd, with no true destination.

X--X--X--X

Aoi, Chie and Mai sat in the lobby of the hospital, waiting for the doctor to return with some clues to where Nao was. They heard the elevator door slide open and a doctor came walking out with a few security guards. Aoi rushed over to where the men were standing.

"Did you find anything?" She anxiously asked. The doctor just shook his head in response. "There was nothing. She must have slipped passed us somehow." One of the security guards added.

"We have to find her. She might be successful this time." Aoi said, shifting her view back to her friends. "I'll try to contact Natsuki. Maybe she's back home by now." Mai said and walked over to one of the phones on the wall.

Aoi nervously tapped her foot against the ground while biting her lower lip. "Please Nao, be okay." A set of arms wrapped themselves around Aoi which made her jump. "Calm down Aoi. Standing there fidgeting will only cause more unneeded anxiety." Aoi just pressed her body against Chie's, letting her warmth sooth her.

Mai hung the phone up and walked back over to the other two. "Any word?" Chie asked shifting her gaze to Mai. "No. I just got the answering Machine." Mai sat down in one of the chairs that was positioned in the middle of the lobby. "We should probably contact the others." Mai said, leaning back into the chair. "But I'm out of coins…"

Chie just stood there with Aoi wrapped in her arms. "We have to do something soon. I don't want Nao-chan to die." Aoi said and let out a light sob. Hearing this, Chie couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy which was funny because she never thought of herself as the jealous type. "It'll be alright Aoi. Just relax." Chie said in a soothing tone, stroking the brunettes head.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki rode into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Once she got off her motorcycle, she entered the complex and walked over to the elevator.

The elevator came to a stop at her floor and the door slide open. She walked out and down the hall towards her apartment. Jiggling the keys in her hand, she slid the key into the keyhole, but there was no click. Natsuki turned the door knob to find that the door was unlocked. "What the hell?" She asked herself.

Natsuki quickly kicked the door open and somersaulted into the room, ready for anything. "My my, aren't we energetic today?" Natsuki turned her head over to her sofa to see someone reading a newspaper. "Who are you!?" Natsuki demanded, taking a fighting stance.

The person put the paper down to reveal a Kyoto born brunette causing Natsuki's eyes to widen in shock. "Ara? Is something wrong Natsuki-han?"

"Shizuru!?" Natsuki question, puzzled by the brunettes sudden intrusion. "Don't you remember Natuski-han? I told you a week ago that I was going to come visit." Shizuru stood up from the couch. "Or is it that Natsuki doesn't want to see me?" She added, putting on a sad smile.

"_Oh that's right…_" Natsuki mentally slapped herself for forgetting. "Oh, no. It's just that I kinda forgot." She nervously chuckled. Shizuru just laughed at Natsuki's reaction then gave her a hug. "I missed my little puppy." She jokingly said. "Pu- puppy?" Natsuki asked, puzzled. "My new nickname for you. Don't you just like it?"

"I would rather not…" Natsuki said, breaking away from Shizuru grasp. Ignoring Natsuki's comment, Shizuru made her way into the kitchen. "I bought some things at the store so we could have some dinner. I'll get started on it right away." She said and turned on the over.

"Oh, okay then." Natsuki simply replied. Just then, a load ring tone went off from behind Natsuki, causing her to just. She spun around to find her cell phone on the coffee table ringing. Taking a sigh of relief, she reached down and answer her cell phone.

"Moshi Moshi. Mai? What's wrong?" Natsuki walked over to her sofa about to sit down. "WHAT!" She yelled, freezing her action and causing Shizuru to drop some of the items that she pulled out of the grocery bag. "Ara? What's wrong Natsuki-han?" The brunette asked, looking over at Natsuki with concern.

"Really? Well, alright. I'll see what I can do." Closing her cell phone, Natsuki shifted looked over to Shizuru. "Nao's went missing from the hospital."

"Hospital? Oh no, did she get hurt?" Shizuru asked, covering her mouth with shock. "_That's right. Shizuru wasn't here at the time._" Natsuki thought. "I'll explain later. I have to go."

"But I just started-" Shizuru was interrupted by the slamming of the front door. She sighed and looked back over at the pot that was on the stove with disappointment.

X--X--X--X

Nao looked out into the ocean as the wind caressed her face. She stood on the ledge of where she captured Natsuki and held her hostage. Her first attempt at suicide failed thanks to Natsuki. But hopefully she could get the job done this time.

"Wait, what am I doing?" She thought, puzzled at her own actions. Then there was a split image of the newspaper and what was written on it. Her heart shattered into pieces. All of her rational thinking came to a quick halt as she peeked over the ledge. "I can end it all so easily…"

A light flashed in the corner of her eye but she didn't even flinch. Natsuki rode up on her motorcycle and stopped, looking at the redhead through the visor of her helmet. Without saying a word, she killed the engine, took off the helmet and got off.

"Well, this reminds me of not so pleasant memories." Natsuki said, walking over a few feet from Nao's side. Nao just kept looking down at the ocean. "So… What are you gonna do?" Natsuki asked, gazing over at Nao's shoulder. "Maybe end it…" Nao replied, rubbing her arm. "You know this isn't the way, right?" Nao just looked from the corner of her eye over at Natsuki.

"Heh, plus it will probably fail again, just like last time." The cobalt headed biker leaned against the railing and looked down at the black ocean.

"Tell me, why are you trying to stop me?" Natsuki flinched at this question. Why was she trying to stop Nao. She honestly didn't care if Nao lived or died yet for some reason, something in her was telling her to stop Nao.

"Just a feeling I guess." Natsuki simply replied. Her eyes widened as she looked over and noticed Nao standing on the railing, about to plummet into the sea. "Wait, Nao!"

The redhead took a falling motion towards the sea, head first. Natsuki felt a cold chill run up her spine as she witnessed the girl freefalling into the ocean.

_What will happen to Nao? What will Natsuki do? What is Shizuru making for dinner? Find out in the next chapter of _**Endless Darkness.**

X--X--X--X

**A/N:** HAHAHAHAHA!! Gotcha! Bet your angry now huh? Cliffhangers really do suck. Sorry It took so long to get this chapter out. I was busy with some personal things. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. So please remember to review so I can have enough confidence to continue onward!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: View last chapters to find the obvious…

**A/N:** Hello Readers! Sorry about the late releases. I'm just having a little writers block. Anyway, I guess we should start off with this chapter. Hope you like it.

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 05 - The savior

X--X--X--X

Aoi and Chie sat in the dorm room that Aoi and Nao shared. They had split up from Mai at the hospital and went home. Aoi laid on her bed, hiding her face in the pillow while Chie sat on her bedside, stroking her back.

"Chie… I don't feel very good… Could you get me something to drink?" Aoi said, shifting her head to gaze at her girlfriend.

Chie gave a silent nod and walked over to the kitchen. Opening the cabinet door, Chie took a small glass and filled it with water from the sink. She walked back over to Aoi and handed her the glass and watched as her friend down the water. "Thanks…" Aoi handed the glass back to Chie, who just set it on the nightstand.

-_knock knock knock_- A knocking sound was heard from the door. Chie got up and approached it, reaching down for the knob when the knocking turned into banging.

"Alright already! Hang on a min-" Chie stopped when she saw Natsuki carrying Nao on her back. "Nao!" Aoi practically screamed when she saw who was at the door.

"I believe this is yours." Natsuki said as she hauled the unconscious redhead over to one of the beds and laid her down. "Where did you find her?"

"Same spot. Only this time, I was able to prevent her from making contact with the ocean." The biker said as she scratched the back of her neck. Aoi noticed a gash that ran up Natsuki's left arm.

"Natsuki, you're bleeding!" Natsuki looked over at her arm. "Oh, this? Yeah, that must have happened when I grabbed the ledge. Those rocks are pretty sharp."

Aoi just gave Natsuki a puzzled look. "Oh yeah, I guess I should explain."

X--X--X--X

_Natsuki watched as Nao dove head first for the water. Watching as the redhead attempted to put an end to here own life. "Wait, Nao!" Natsuki acted on impulse and leaped for the girl. She grabbed her led and quickly reached up to grasp the ledge._

"_Gah! Damn it." Natsuki cursed as she felt a sharp pain caused by a pointed tip of the ledge that cut into her arm. She looked down to noticed she had a clear view of the redheads underwear. They were white with pink horizontal stripes. Natsuki didn't know if it was daggling about over sixty feet in in the air over jagged rocks or the site of the girls panties, but Natsuki felt a nose bleed coming on._

_The cobalt headed girl tried pulling herself up but her efforts were in vain. "Nao! I could use some cooperation here…" There was no reply. "Hey! You better not be sleeping!" Natsuki basically screamed at the redhead, but there was still no reply. "Great. Not only am I hanging for my life,but princess over here is taking a beauty nap."_

_Natsuki tried to gather here thoughts but her time was running out. She felt as her grip was weakening. "So… Is this how it ends?" Natsuki asks no one in particular._

_Natsuki's grip went causing her and Nao to fall towards the ocean._

_-thud- Natsuki felt as she hit a hard surface. "What the?" Do to being wrapped up in the drama of the situation, Natsuki didn't notice there was a ledge under them just big enough to stop them from falling into the ocean._

_Her eye twitch as she glared at the ground and then over at the unconscious redhead. A loud outburst of laughter was emitted from the biker as she lied onto her back and gazed up at the stars._

X--X--X--X

"And that's the story." Aoi and Chie stood with dumbstruck looks on their faces. "Well, that was… interesting." Chie said, looking over at Aoi. "Well… I guess you could say that." The brunette replied, rubbing her arm and chuckling.

Natsuki looked over at Nao, watching her as she slept. "_I still don't get it, Nao. Why?_" She thought, shifting her direction towards the door.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Shizuru has dinner waiting." Natsuki said as she headed for the door. "Oh, a hot date eh?" Chie giggled. Natsuki just shot a glare back at Chie and continued out the door.

"I guess I should be going as well." Chie leaned over and planted a warm, wet kiss on her girlfriend's lips. They separated and Chie walked out the door.

Aoi looked over at Nao and gave a heavy sigh. "What am I gonna do with you?"

X--X--X--X

Natsuki reached down to her door knob, turned it and swung the door open. "Tadaima!" As the door closed behind her, Natsuki walked into the living room and saw Shizuru sitting on the sofa.

"Ah, Natsuki-han. Welcome back." Shizuru got up off the sofa and gave Natsuki a warming hug.

Shizuru felt something warm and sticky rub off on her. She look down to find that Natsuki was bleeding. "Oh no. Natsuki, are you alright?" Shizuru asked, taking a closer look on the laceration on Natsuki's left arm. "Who did this to you?" The brunette demanded.

Natsuki felt a shiver run up here spine as she saw the psychotic look in Shizuru's eyes. "Oh… Erm… Not whom, but what, heheheh…" The cobalt headed biker inched herself away from Shizuru.

The brunettes face just lit up with a smile. "Okay. As long as Natsuki-han is fine, I have no problem."

"Come. We need to clean this wound of yours, my little puppy-han." Shizuru giggled. "Then you can have your dinner."

Natsuki tried her best to shake off the irritation she felt from Shizuru's words.

X--X--X--X

"_What is this… feeling?_" Nao felt a warm, soft presence wrapped around her. The smell was nostalgic and comforting. "_Mama…?_"

Nao slowly opened her eyes to find that she was lying in her bed, wrapped in her comforter. "Nao-chan… Are you alright?" She turned er head to see who was talking. "Ma… ma?" All she saw was Aoi looming over her with a look of concern.

Nao let out an irritated sigh and buried her face back into her pillow. "Nao, I now you're awake." Aoi said, nudging the girl. "So what?" The redhead replied. Aoi sighed and sat down next to the girl. "Listen, Nao. I might not know what you're going through but, please, talk to me. Let me be of some help…" Aoi pleaded.

"If you want to help, then leave me be." Aoi just looked at the girls back with concern. "We're worried about you, you know." The brunette leaned over and started stroking the girls back. Nao just shook the girls hand off.

Aoi let out another sigh and stood up. "Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." The brunette walked off into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"They're all worried, huh?" Nao though, taking in a deep breathe. Then, the girl slid over to the bedside, got up and approach her dresser. Aoi heard a rustling sound a looked back over to the living room. "Nao, what are you doing." Nao took off her hospital night gown and put on a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt.

"I have some questions." Nao said and walking over to the door. "Wait, Nao!" Before Aoi could stop her, she went out the door. Quickly rushing towards the door and going out it, Aoi tried to stop Nao, thinking she was going to try to commit suicide once more.

"Nao, you can't do this." Aoi said and grabbed the redheads arm. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything reckless." Nao said and gave Aoi a look of reassurance.

The brunette loosened her grip, trying to believe Nao. "Alright, just hurry back, okay." Nao just nodded and took off.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki laid on the sofa, watching some stupid game show on the TV. Shizuru had left a few minutes ago after they finished eating dinner.

Natsuki fiddled around with the remote when she heard knocking at the door. "Who is it now?" The girl lazily got up off the sofa and approached the door. She rotated the knob and swung the door opened to find Nao standing at her doorway.

"Wha-… Nao? What are you…?" Natsuki was at a loss for words. She would have never thought that Nao would actually pay her a visit. "I need to talk…" The redhead muttered under her breathe and gave Natsuki a cold stare.

Natsuki just stepped aside, allowing the redhead access into her home. Nao slowly made her way over to the sofa and plopped down. "So… What do you need Nao?"

X--X--X--X

**A/N: **And we shall end this with a cliffy. Hope you enjoyed. In the next chapter we should be seeing the pairings take flight so I hope you're ready. Please remember to review. Every single one counts! And I will also remember to make it longer.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer Me not owning the series.

**A/N:** Hello my gracious readers. Sorry about the late updates. I finally decided it is time to get back on this story. I hope you are ready to see some character development. Plus you should notice that this chapter will be longer then the other chapters. Anyway, enough of this senseless tomfoolery. On to the show!… story… thing.

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 06 - A new companionship?

X--X--X--X

Nao sat on the sofa, gazing at Natsuki. A moment of discomfort swept over the blue haired goddess and she tried to avert Nao's gaze. But it didn't help, she could still feel her look.

"What do you want?" Natsuki bluntly asked. Nao looked away from the biker, trying to collect her thoughts.

"You and I are kind of the same, right?" Natsuki inwardly flinched at Nao's question. "Yeah… I guess."

Nao looked back at the girl. "Tell me, am I…" Nao took a long pause and looked down at her hands. "Are you… what?" Natsuki asked with a puzzled look.

"Am I a horrible person?" Again, Natsuki was taken aback by Nao's unexpected questions. Natsuki always thought that Nao was the type of person who couldn't care less of what other people thought of her. '_Is she opening up to me?' _She thought.

"Well let's see. You went ballistic and tried to kill Mai's little brother and tried to do me in so… yeah." Natsuki looked down at the redhead and noticed that she was practically glaring at her.

"What? You asked me and I honestly answered." Natsuki said shrugging her shoulders. "You didn't have to make it sound so bad. " Nao snared and looked in the other direction.

Natsuki just let a grin creep onto her face. "So. Do you need anything else or do you want me to point out anymore of your obvious faults?"

Nao just rested into the sofa. She closed her eyes and let the comfort and warmth of the sofa sink in.

"Hey!" Nao jumped up in shock to find a flustered Natsuki.

"If you don't need anything else then leave." Natsuki said making her way to the her bathroom. "Why did you stop me?" Natsuki paused her movement and turned her vision over to the redhead on her sofa.

"Nani?" Natsuki watch as Nao lifted herself off the sofa. "Why did you stop me from killing myself?" Nao asked again, not even looking at the other girl. "I guess I just… Felt like I had to."

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders and continued her way to the bath, closing the door behind her. '_A feeling? Is that so?_' Nao laid back down on the sofa, resting her head on one of the white pillows, slowly drifting asleep.

X--X--X--X

Mai opened her dorm room door and lazily walked inside. After an exhausting day of running around town, Mai was finally able to rest.

"Tadaima!" Mai's voice echoed slightly through the dorm. "MAI!" The orange haired girl looked over and saw Mikoto leaping at her. "Gah!" Both Mikoto and Mai fell to the ground.

"Oh, Tokiha-san, you're back." Mai looked over and saw Yukino walking over with a bright smile on her face. "Mai. Did you find Nao? Is she alright?" Mikoto pleaded the girl she was practically straddling to know how Nao was doing.

Since the HiME carnival, Mikoto and Nao have grown pretty close. "Umm… Don't worry Mikoto. She's alright." Mai said, rubbing the girls head. Of course Mai was lying, or so she thought, to her friend so she wouldn't worry anymore.

Mai has yet to be informed that Nao was saved by Natsuki again. "Thanks for watching Mikoto for me while I was gone, Yukino." Mai said after standing back up. "Not a problem." Yukino said with another warming smile. "I better get going. Haruka-chan said she had something special planned for me tonight."

Mai nodded in response. "Bye Mikoto. See you later." Yukino said and patted the beast girl on her head. "Alright. Bye Yukino." Mikoto wrapped her arms around the girl and watched as she walked out the door.

"Alright, I guess we should go take a ba-" Mai was interrupted by a loud growling noise. She looked back to see Mikoto with her head hanging from her shoulders and drool dripping from her mouth.

"Mai… I'm hungry." Mikoto said and fell into Mai's arms. "Wha-… What?! Didn't you have dinner?"

"Yes. But Yukino-chan burned it and we had to eat cheesy pie…" Mai let out a small sigh and gently nudged the girl off of her. "Alright, alright. I'll make you something to eat. Oh, and it's called pizza, Mikoto. But before you eat, you need a bath."

Mikoto immediately snapped back to life and leaped under one of the beds and hid. "No! I'm not gonna."

Mai just gave an evil snicker. "Alright then. I guess you don't want my ultimate ramen dish."

Mai heard Mikoto moaning out of irritation under the bed. She knew that the girl couldn't resist one of her best ramen dishes. "Will it have beef?" Mikoto asked, popping her head out from under the bed. Mai nodded and said "All you can eat!".

Mikoto sprang out from her hiding place and rushed over to Mai. "Alright. But let's make it quick." Mikoto grabbed Mai's hand and rushed into the bathroom. "Wait, Mikoto!"

The two girls had striped down, Mikoto sat naked on a stool while Mai stood up on her knees behind the other girl and scrubbed her back. "Mai, would Nao really…?"

"Hmm. I'm sorry Mikoto, I didn't catch that." Mai said, pouring water over the girl, rinsing the soap off. "Would Nao really kill herself?" Mai flinched at the question.

"Wait, Mikoto. Who ever said that Nao was trying to kill herself?" Mai asked with a hesitant voice. The last thing she would want is any unneeded tension on her little friend.

"I had a dream that Nao jumped off a cliff into a black abyss. I don't know why but every time I think about it, I always feel really scarred." Mikoto began to quiver. The girl soon felt to arms wrap around her and a warm felling engulfed her.

"Don't think about it. Just let it go Mikoto. Nao is safe and that's all that matters." Mai gently whispered into the little girls ear. "Mai." Mikoto rested her head into the girls chest.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki let the water wash away the days fatigue and irritation. The steam generated from the warm water in her bath relaxed the girl even more. She let her body sink into the bath as until the water spilled over the sides of the bath.

She let out a sigh and gazed up at the ceiling. "Today really got hectic. Hope Nao doesn't go pulling another stunt like that again. It might be the death of me."

Natsuki looked at her hands and noticed how pruned her hands had become. She had already spent over an hour in the bath. "If I don't get out soon, I'll look like a raisin."

The cobalt headed girl lifted herself out of the bath and drained the water. She wrapped a towel around her and walked over to a basket that had her night close in it. All it had were dark colored sleeping pants and a blue t-shirt. After getting dressed, she walked out into the living room and found Nao sleeping on her sofa.

Natsuki's eye twitch and she approached the sofa where the redheaded beauty laid. She crouched down and was about to shake her when something caught her eye.

Natsuki gazed at the beauty that laid before her. She never really noticed how hot Nao really was.

Inch by inch, Her face was closing in on the redheads without her knowledge. Soon, their faces were only and inch apart. Natsuki's heart began to race rapidly and she felt her face turning bright red.

'_What the hell am I doing? Stop it Natsuki. You're making a big mistake._' Natsuki thought, trying to reason out her actions. She already felt Nao's lips once while giver her CPR.

When Natsuki finally thought about it, she remembered the feeling of Nao's lips against hers. They were warm, soft and tasted like strawberry's.

Natsuki was almost about to feel that same sensation until Nao opened her eyes to find the Natsuki practically on top of her.

"AHHH!! What the hell are you doing!?" Nao screamed while shoving Natsuki onto the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Natsuki staggered to her feet and backed away from the redhead.

Nao had a furious look on her face, but it quickly dissipated.

"I thought I told you to leave." The biker said and crossed her arms over her chest as if the incident never happened. "Well I would have if I had known you were going to try and rape me." Nao chuckled and looked in the other direction.

Natsuki's face turned beat red and she stomped her right foot on the ground. "Wait a minute." She demanded and turned in the other direction. "I was… Caught up in the moment. That's all." She said, pouting.

"Sure you were, mutt." Natsuki whipped around and glared at Nao. "What did you call me?" She snarled, starring daggers at the redhead.

"Oh, nothing." Nao giggled. "I'm just surprised to see you are gaining more of Shizuru's orientation." Nao said as she wore a smirk of victory. Natsuki just averted the gaze of the other girl. She wasn't going to deny it. The more time she spent with Shizuru, the more she became used to the idea of bring a homosexual.

"Yeah, yeah. Well anyway, what are you going to do? It's almost one o'clock and I bet the streets really aren't that safe at this time of day." Natsuki said, scratching her neck. "Well, I was thinking I might stay here tonight. I kind of like the feel of this couch." Nao said and plopped back down onto the sofa.

Natsuki just sighed. "I guess. As long as you keep quite, I won't have a problem with it." Nao just put on an innocent smile. "Don't worry. I'll be a good girl." She said grabbed the blanket that rested on the top of the sofa.

Natsuki watch as the girl slowly fell asleep. '_I guess I should do the same. After all, who knows what's going to happen tomorrow._' Natsuki turned of the lights in her living room and walked over to the door of her bedroom. She took one last glance over at the redhead on the couch and headed into her bedroom.

X--X--X--X

At the airport of Fuuka city, a man walked out of the front doors of the station. He had ruffled black hair and hazel eyes. He wore sunglasses and a black suit.

"So, this is Fuuka eh?" The man said and grunted. He reached into his pocket and pulled a picture out. It was a picture of Nao. "Now where are you, my little princess?"

X--X--X--X

Who is this man and why does he know Nao? What could he be after? Will there be a yuri scene of Mikoto and Mai? Find out on the next chapter of **Endless Darkness**!

**A/N: **Hey everybody. I hope you liked the new chapter. Sorry if it wasn't as long as you anticipated. I kinda ran out of material for this chapter. Well, anyway, please remember to review. Criticism is welcome as well. Cheerio!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-hime nor do I own Mai-Otome or any other series made by sunrise.

**A/N:** Glad to see there are some people out there enjoying my story. I thank all of those who took the time to add some reviews. I greatly thank you. Alright! Hope you're all ready for this. Put your reading caps on and let's a go, go!

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 07 - It's only a fairytale.

X--X--X--X

-_beep, beep, beep_- An alarm clock went off. A lump under the covers shifted as a hand was extended from under it and slammed down on the 'snooze' button. The brunette began to rise from under the cover. The girl shook her head to let her hair fall down.

Aoi looked over at the clock as it read '10:00 AM'. Luckily, they were on vacation from school for a few more weeks.

Aoi shifted her eyes over to her roommates bed and noticed that Nao wasn't in it. "_Nao..._" She thought, and forced herself to get up. The brunette was wearing a simple dark colored sleeping shirt and pants.

Aoi walked into her bathroom and began to clean herself up. Her hair was a mess and her face was kind of pale. Probably do to her worrying all night long about Nao.

After she had her bath and brushed her teeth, Aoi walked out into the kitchen and began to make herself some breakfast. She decided to make something simple like toast and eggs.

Before she could begin eating, there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be? Chie, maybe?" Aoi got up from the table and opened the door. When she saw who was on the other side, she was puzzled. There stood a man wearing sunglasses and a black suit with ruffled hair. "Can I… help you?" Aoi asked hesitantly.

An evil grin crept up onto his face. "Why, yes you may.".

X--X--X--X

"AHHHHH! Not my mayo…!" A cobalt headed girl sprang up in her bed, drenched with sweat. Natsuki panted heavily as she glanced around the room. She quickly stumbled over to the side of her bed and felt underneath her bed and pulled out a small, brown shoebox. Natsuki flipped over the top of the box and took a sigh of relief. The box was full of mayo packets. "Thank god your safe. No one will take you my precious mayo."

She put the box back underneath the bed and looked up onto her nightstand to see a picture frame of her and Shizuru. They looked happy together in the photo. Though Natsuki looked kind of uncomfortable and Shizuru was her same playful self. Two things that never really mix well.

Natsuki shifted her attention over to the alarm clock next to the picture. It read '10:37 AM'. "Wow… That's earlier then usual." Natsuki always had a habit of waking up at noon or later on days where there was no school.

Do to the shock of her nightmare, she felt wide awake. "Damn it…" She cursed and fell face first into her pillow. Natsuki soon lifted herself out of her bed and walked out of her room. She made her way to the bathroom to take care of her business.

After she finished, Natsuki strolled into the living room. The light from the morning sun was desperately trying to make it's way through her blinds.

The female biker gazed over to her couch where Nao slept. She walked over and looked down upon the girl. Natsuki was about to wake her when suddenly, Nao started to toss and turn in her sleep. "What the…?"

"no… mama… please stop… don't go…" Nao began to shudder as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "_She must be having one hell of a nightmare._" Natsuki thought. She lowered her hand and rested it on the redheads shoulder. Soon, the muttering stopped and the churning ceased. The girl wiped the tears away and smiled.

"WAKE UP YOU FREELOADER!" Natsuki began to shake the girl violently. "Ah! What the hell. STOP!" Nao yelled, trying to get the girl off her. Natsuki let go and backed away. Nao shot a glare at her and Natsuki just grinned.

"Sleep well?" Natsuki jokingly asked. "No thanks to you." Nao replied, trying to get up but failed do to the dizziness from the shaking. Natsuki lent her a hand and pulled her up. "If you don't mind, I need to use the little girls room." Nao said and lazily made her way into the bathroom.

Natsuki just watched as the redhead disappeared into the bathroom. -_gurgle_- The girls stomach began to growl. Natsuki sighed and walked into the kitchen to prepare her and her guest some breakfast. Though she wasn't really a cook, she could still whip up a batch of pancakes.

After Nao was finished, she washed her hands and exited the bathroom. As soon as she entered the living room, her nose filled with the heavenly scent of pancakes.

Nao peaked around to the kitchen and saw Natsuki stand at the stove, a box of hotcake mix was on the counter next to her. Natsuki flipped the pancakes constantly, making sure none of them got burnt.

"Nice to know you can actually cook something without setting the kitchen on fire." Nao said as she walked over to the table. The statement caught Natsuki off guard, but she quickly retaliated. "Yeah. And it's nice to see you're not hungry. Leave more for me."

At that point, Nao's stomach growled, making the girl lightly blush and turn away. Natsuki put a few pancakes onto one plate and a few more onto another. She put them on the table and walked over to the fridge to get some syrup, then to the counter drawer to get a couple forks.

After laying the various items down onto the table, Natsuki walked back over to her counter and started up her coffee maker. Nao began to cut up and eat her hotcakes. By then, the air grew thick with an awkward silence. Natsuki stood over the coffee maker, thinking of something to say.

"So…" She started, attracting the redheads attention. Natsuki turned around and leaned against the counter. "What's new with you?"

Nao just gave Natsuki a stupid look. "Oh nothing really. Just my mother was killed in an accident and my life is in ruins. All the good stuff, ya know." Nao then gave a sarcastic smile. "Okay, bad topic…" Natsuki twiddled her fingers and looked around her small kitchenette.

Listening as the coffee began to brew, Natsuki then sat down at the table. The silence began to annoy Natsuki as she began to play around with her food. Her appetite suddenly vanished under all of the discomfort. "Tell me, Nao… Why?" Natsuki asked, looking in Nao's direction. "Huh?" Nao looked at Natsuki in confusion.

"Don't act stupid, you know what I mean. Why did you try and kill yourself?" Nao looked away, without so much as a second glance. "You're such a strong girl, or, you were. You go and try to off yourself like this. What's wrong with you!?" Natsuki began to raise her voice in question.

"ANSWER ME!" Natsuki jumped out of her and slammed her hands down onto the table as she yelled that.

Nao then whipped back around and glared at Natsuki. "You want to know why!? Tell me, what's the point of living a life that just takes away from you and gives nothing in return, hmm!?" Natsuki blinked at the question. "Why should I even bother living when everything I love is stripped away from me?" Tears then began to weld up in Nao's eyes.

"What about your friends, Nao? What about Aoi, Mikoto and all the others? How do you think they feel knowing that you chose to kill yourself?" Natsuki gave Nao a furious look. Nao just averted her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "It's only a matter of time… Before they get taken away as well."

-_Smack_- The sound of Natsuki's palm striking Nao's cheek echoed throughout the apartment. Nao reached up to the red, throbbing pain on her cheek. The redhead then got up and walked out of the kitchen. "Wait, Nao!" Natsuki followed right behind Nao.

Natsuki reached out and grabbed Nao's shoulder but the girl shrugged her hand off. "You know…" Nao started. "When I first heard about my mothers accident, I didn't know what to think…"

X--X--X--X

"_Nao… Nao…" Nao felt something nudging her body. "Nao, time to get up." A soft voice whispered to her. Nao's eyes slowly opened and saw a women standing over her. "Good morning, Nao-chan." The women said with a warm smile. "Morning, mama." Nao replied. The girl sat up on the side of the bed and looked around her dorm room._

_Nao's mother moved into an apartment complex in town, close enough so that she could visit Nao every morning before she went to work. Her mother worked in trading company. Luckily, they kept her employment papers so that she could return to her job._

_Nao's mother walked into the small kitchenette and continued making breakfast. Nao got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. "This dish…" Nao said puzzled. She looked at all the delicious food on the table. Her mother Akemi put down a bowl of rice next to it all. "Breakfast is served." Akemi said and smiled at Nao._

"_This is all the food that you…" Nao said, trying to place where she saw all of this before. "…That I fixed on your first day of elementary school. All of your favorites." Akemi said looking at Nao. "My how you've grown." She said embracing Nao. "It seems like only yesterday when I saw that little girl run happily into school and now you're grown up." Akemi started to choke up._

"_Okay, mama. I get it." Nao said, returning the embrace and pulling away. "Alright, go on and eat and get ready, Nao. We've got a big day today. We have so much to do." Akemi said, walking back into the living room of the dorm._

_Nao could only smile. Finally, she had her mother back._

_Nao and her mother have been doing some stuff together everyday in town so Akemi could catch up on some of the things she has missed in her daughters life. Today, they planned on going shopping together._

_After Nao got all of her clothes together, she and her mother left the dormitories and headed for town. The sun began to shine out from behind the clouds. Nao looked over at her mother who was about a few inches taller then herself. She had shorter, lighter hair then Nao, but there was some things they had in common. Such as the eyes, personality and beauty._

_They got on the subway to the city. Once they arrived, they got off and started down the sidewalk to the shopping district. "So, honey. Is there anything new that you want to talk to me about?"_

_Nao looked over at her mother, then back down to the ground. "Not really. Since schools let out, there's not much going for me."_

_Akemi stopped in her tracks, so did Nao, about a few feet further away from the women. Nao looked back at her mother. "Something wrong, mom?"_

_Akemi just grinned at her daughter. "You know, I've always wanted to go on a shopping spree with you. Now that you're all grown up…" Akemi slowly approached Nao. "Wait… What? Mom, hang on." Akemi grabbed Nao by the arm and they began to run to the one of the clothing stores. "C'mon Nao-chan. It's time you got yourself a new image."_

_After a few hours of shopping went by, Nao was about done with her mothers "shop happy" attitude. Holding bags of clothes, Nao sat down on a bench in the "JCPenny" store. She couldn't take it anymore, unlike her mother who was browsing through some pants. "Mom, don't you think this is a bit much? I mean, you're going to go bankrupt. You're still trying recuperate from your medical expenses." Nao said, trying to reason with her mother._

"_Oh come on Nao, lighten up. You should never worry about such trivial things." Nao just turned away. Not only was her mother addicted to shopping, she also was kind of stubborn at times._

"_Nao, is that you?" A familiar voice asked from behind Nao. "Oh, it's you Mai." Nao simply said, then turned back to her mother. "Nao, is one of your friends. Why don't you introduce me."_

_Nao sighed but then got up. "Mai, this is my mother, Akemi. Mom, this is Mai. Shake hands and then lets go."_

"_Nice to meet you, ma'am." Mai said, shaking Akemi's hand. "Likewise." Akemi said with a smile. "So, Mai. What's your relationship with my daughter? Friend, lover?" Akemi said with a giggle._

"_MOM!" Nao yelled, attracting attention from other people around the store. "Oh come on Nao-chan, I'm only joking." Akemi chuckled. Mai blushed a little but then looked at the watch on her wrist. "Well, I better get going. I have to pick up a few pieces of clothing here then get to the supermarket and get some food for Mikoto." The orange haired girl said and start passed the girls._

"_It was nice to meet you Akemi. Bye!" Mai said and ran off to the other side of the store. "Oh, speaking of food. I need to run to the supermarket as well. Would you please take these clothes back to your dorm room honey?" Nao couldn't refuse her mother, so she nodded her head and picked up the bags._

"_I'll come by your dorm later and we can have a nice big lunch, alright Nao-nao." Akemi said and walked away. Nao stood their and sighed. Things have become so much more annoying ever since her mother woke up. But, she was happy. Nao finally could live along with her mother in peace, and that was enough for her t overcome anything._

_The clouds in the sky started to turn darker in color. Nao entered her dorm room and laid the bags on the ground and plopped down on her bed. "Mmmm…." Nao soaked into her bed, allowing the comfort to overwhelm her as she slowly fell asleep. But something was bothering her, like a stabbing pain in her chest._

_Nao really couldn't tell what it was, but something didn't feel right. In the end, she just shrugged it off and fell into a deep sleep. Letting her mind fill with wonderful images of her, her friends and her mother. A smile crept up onto her face before she was completely under._

_Hours past, yet her mother did not show. Nao slowly awoke from her slumber, cracking her eyes open to a dimly lit room. She looked over at her clock on the nightstand. 'It read '7:37 PM'. "Oh man, I slept to long?" Nao looked around the room and noticed that no one was in the room. Her mother didn't come back. _

_-**Ring, Ring**- "Ah!" Nao jump from hearing the phone. Her grogginess was quickly replaced with shock._

_Nao pulled herself off of her bed and picked up the phone. "Hello. Who is this?" Nao asked with an irritated tone. "Is this miss Yuuki Nao's residence?" A light, feminine voice asked over the phone. "Yeah, what about it?" Nao asked. "Yuuki-san, we have some bad news."…_

X--X--X--X

"…I just couldn't bare with the fact that my mother could die. I isolated myself from everything…" Nao continued on as she sat down onto the couch. "I just couldn't go through all that again. I just wanted to end the pain." The sobs growing in her voice. Natsuki could only feel sympathy towards the girl. She to knew what it felt like to have everything taken away from you.

Nao felt two arms wrap around her. A warm feeling of an embrace. She looked to see Natsuki cradling her. "what.. Are you doing?" She asked, puzzled. "You've been through so much. I know how you feel but, killing yourself won't solve anything."

Nao could only chuckle. "To think… I must have really sunk pretty low for YOU to be comforting me…"

"Better then nothing, right?" Natsuki replied. Nao started to doze off. The warm feeling became to much for her as she fell asleep.

X--X--X--X

Aoi awoke in a dark, cold room. Her eyes fluttered as she looked around. She noticed a window up by the ceiling just emitting enough light to see. "Where… Where am I?" Aoi question as she tried to move, but something was wrong. Her hands were bound together by rope. "Hello! Is anyone there?!" Aoi shouted. "Help!"

"Scream all you want my dear. It won't help you in anyway. No one can hear you." A dark figure in the corner of the room said as it approached Aoi. "You… You're that man from before." Aoi said, pushing herself against the wall as an attempt to flee.

The man chuckled and removed his shades. "My name is Masaru Kenji and I'm looking for someone that you know, Senoh Aoi."

"H-… how do you know my name?" Aoi asked in shock. "Why, let's just say I'm well informed. I also know who your friends are, what they like and dislike and about everything about them and you." Kenji began to chuckle. "Now, tell me, where this girl is hiding." He asked as he pulled out from his pocket and showed it to Aoi.

"That's…" Aoi started. "Correct! Yuuki Nao." Kenji finished for her. "And you're going to tell me where she is hiding."

"Even if I knew where she was, which I don't, what makes you believe I would tell you anything?" Aoi said with an enraged tone. "fu fu fu… My, aren't we the tough guy." Kenji reached over and flipped a switch on the wall and light appeared over in the side of the room. "Oh my god.. CHIE!" Aoi screamed in shock.

Chie was hung up by a rope that was tied to her wrists. The was gagged with a cloth and there was blood running from her nose as well as bruises on her face. Her clothes were torn and had a few blood stains on them.

"You will tell me where Nao is, or I will kill you're little friend." Kenji began to laugh. Aoi could only sit in horror as she looked at her friends current state.

X--X--X--X

Is this the end of Chie? What will happen with Natsuki and Nao? And what is Kenji after? Find out later in **Endless Darkness!**

**A/N**: Sorry for the late release guys. I kinda had writers block and I couldn't continue with it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. And if you could, please find some time to give me a review. Just so I know people are reading and like the story. Later.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own this anime.

**A/N:** Hey there gang! Hope you liked the last chapter. Anyway, I've been thinking on where this story will be headed and I think I have it planned out well (hopefully). So I hope you guys are ready to read something fantastic.

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 08 - Distrust

X--X--X--X

"_Hahahahahaaaa…." A demonic laugh was heard in the background among the endless darkness. "Who's that?" A redheaded girl asked. "So, you're the one they keep talk about." The voice said in response._

"_What? What are you talking about?" The girl questioned. "Who are you!?"_

_An image appeared in front of the girl. A women with light red hair and green eyes. _

"_Ma… Mama?" The girl asked in confusion. The women reached her hand out to the girl and gave her a soft smile. The girl reached out to grabbed the women's hand, but the women began to quickly float backwards. "Mama! Wait, stop! Come back!" The girl panicked and started to chase after the women._

_Suddenly, the floor beneath the girl gave way and she fell into what seemed to be water. But is was pure black. The girl began to struggle to stay above the water, but it felt like something was dragging her down._

"_Oh… My little Nao. You should have never tried to kill yourself." The women said as she appeared above Nao. "Mama… -gurgle- He- help me!" Nao yelled, reaching out to her mother._

"_You disappointed me… You must be punished, Nao." Akemi said as she began to walk away. "Mom, wait. I'm sorry… -cough-"_

"_Bye bye, Nao…" A hand surfaced from the water and grabbed Nao. It began to drag her down into the depths of the water. "No! Wait! Mother!" Nao screamed, but only bubbles came out. The darkness slowly consumed her being. The cold, lonely feeling grew stronger. "No… more… please…"_

X--X--X--X

Nao quickly jumped up into a sitting posture. Beads of sweat streamed down her face as she gasped for breath. She covered her face with her hands and let out a few sobs. "_Every damn time… It's always the same dream…_" Nao though as she wiped away the sweat and tears away with her sheet.

"Wait… A sheet?" Nao said, puzzled. She looked down and noticed she was on a couch. "Oh that's right. I fell asleep." Nao looked over to the clock on the wall and it read '1:16 PM'.

Nao looked around the room and noticed that there was no sign of Natsuki. "Where did she go?" Nao asked no one in particular as she laid back down on the sofa and turned on her side.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki looked in the window of a dress store and gazed at the dazzling wedding gown as people passed by her on the sidewalk.

Natsuki pictured what Shizuru would look like in the gown. Her shiny brown hair with combined with the veil, her slim body fit snug in the gown and her beautiful ruby eyes. Natsuki smiled, but then something happened. The image of her love suddenly changed to Nao. "Gah!" Natsuki was taken aback, but quickly recovered.

Natsuki then sighed. "Ha… If only you were here, Shizuru."

Just then, a pair of hands covered Natsuki's eyes. "Guess who." A familiar voice said in a playful manner. "Shi-… Shizuru?" Natsuki said surprised and quickly whipped around.

There stood a brunette beauty, smiling warmly at the biker. "Hello, Natsuki."

X--X--X--X

Nao stumbled off of the couch and walked over to the bathroom. After closing the door behind her, she glanced into the mirror. All of the sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her head.

Nao quickly covered the spot that was throbbing, grunting in pain. "_I'm… so close to you…" _Nao heard in the back of her head. A strange voice, like a man's voice, yet deeper. "Who… is that? Who's there…?" Nao asked, trying to resist the pain. "_In do time. hehehe…_" The voice simply said, then vanished along with the pain.

Nao quickly regained her composure and looked back at herself in the mirror. "What the hell was that about?"

After the redhead got finished with her business, she walked back out the couch. She laid down on her side, and looked over at the black television screen. The harder she looked at it, the more it seemed like something was moving in the background. Nao glanced at it harder, and saw something was moving towards her.

The girl quickly glanced around the room to see what was moving, yet she failed to see anything. Nao got up off the couch and walked over the the television. The moving object was gone. "I must be losing it… again…"

Then, a sound came from the kitchenette. Nao slowly walked slowly towards the room. Slightly peering over the counter, she saw something. She didn't know if it was a person or some type of creature. It was eating something off of the floor. Unknowingly, Nao set her hand down a little to close to a bottle of sauce, knocking it over.

The sound attracted the attention of the creature, and it slowly changed it's attention from the 'something' it was eating, to Nao. Now, Nao had a perfect glance at the creature. It's head had the shape of a goats skull, only with out the horns and the eyes. It's bottom jaw contained many rows of sharp teeth. It's skin was that of something that looked to be charred from fire. It had four limbs, each which had three appendages, which had very long, sharp looking talons. Running down its back, looked to be like some sort of bone like armor along with spikes running down the spinal section.

Nao slowly backed up, in awe of the creature that she so greatly regretted encountering. The creature leaped up onto the counter. Though it did not have eyes, Nao could still feel it's cold, hard stare. Saliva dripped down from it's fangs. It started breathing heavier.

"_Wha-… What the hell is that!?_" Nao thought to herself in a panicky fashion. The creature pounced, so Nao quickly leaped out of it's direction. It landed on the couch, practically breaking it to pieces. Nao made a quick dash to the door, but the creature was faster then her, cutting her off before she could reach the handle.

The redhead quickly stumbled to the other side of the room, throwing what she could at the creature. Sadly, her efforts failed to faze the monstrosity.

She was pinned into a corner. Tears began welding up in her eyes. The girl felt like screaming at the top of her lungs in fear, but nothing would come out, she was so scared.

Nao collapsed slid down against the wall as the creature slowly approached her. "No… Not like this." She silently said to herself. An image of her mother appeared in her head. "_I'm… I'm scarred. Someone please… HELP!_" She thought. Her throat was to stiff to make word. All that came out were slight squeaks.

All of the sudden, the monster stopped. Nao looked over and noticed a part of the creature was smoking where some sunlight was coming through the blinds and hitting it. The creature then let out a loud squeal, followed by a few grunts. Nao saw her chance. She leaped over to one of the windows and ripped down the blinds, revealing a wave of light that cascaded across the creature. It's skin started to burn bright green. It's screeches of pain echoed through the apartment.

Nao then made a move for the door and rushed out of the room, never looking back. "_I've got to get out of here!_" Nao thought loudly, running as fast as she could. The elevators were occupied, so she improvised. She ran down the steps, brushing passed a couple of people.

As soon as she got to the lobby, she sighed a breathe of relief. As she reached for the front door, it opened, revealing two familiar faces. "Natsuki… Shizuru?"

"Ah. Nao-han, how are you today. Okay I hope." Shizuru said with a friendly smile. The women always rubbed Nao the wrong way, but this time she just shrugged it off. "Nao. What the hell is wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost." Natsuki said resting her hands on Nao's shoulder.

Nao was out of breathe, yet she struggled to explain the situation. After a few minutes of explaining, Shizuru and Natsuki stood there with dumbstruck looks on their faces, followed by an outburst of laughter. "Oh my-… Nao, you are quite the story teller." Shizuru said, holding her ribs. "Sounds like… Someone's been hitting the sharpies, eh Shizuru…" Natsuki said, gasping for air.

Nao just stood there with a look of disbelief on her face. How could they find this humorous in any way?

Hey… HEY! Bellboy! Call the fire department! Quick! A rooms on fire." A man said as he rushed out of the stairway. "Kuga-san…" The man said huffing. "It's your room…"

"WHAT!!" Natsuki screamed in disbelief. The three quickly made haste up to Natsuki's apartment room. Sadly, what the man said was true. Her room was up in flames, big time. Natsuki fell to her knees. "Oh no."

X--X--X--X

An hour later, after the firemen came and did their business, the three entered the blackened apartment. Natt believe it… My stuff… My lingerie… My photos… Everything, gone…" Natsuki quickly rushed in and out of every room, looking for anything that might have survived. Everything was burnt. "I can't believe it..."

Natsuki slammed her head against the wall. "Natsuki!" Shizuru said in worry. The brunette tried to comfort Natsuki, but her efforts failed. Nao could only look at the devastation. The redhead the redirected her attention to Natsuki, who she noticed was glaring right at her.

"What did you do!?" Natsuki demanded as she started to approach Nao. "I didn't do anything. It was that… That thing!" Nao tried to reason with the cobalt headed biker. "Bullshit! Don't give me that. You've always hated my guts. This was the perfect opportunity to ruin me. You BITCH!" Natsuki barked. Nao could only flinch. "I must have been crazy to trust you!"

"Natsuki, please. Calm down. Something else could have happe-" Natsuki swatted Shizuru away. "Yeah right! You know how she is. How she despises me. God! I can't believe the shit!" Natsuki yelled as she punched a hole in her wall.

"Wait! Don't just go accusing me. You have no proof." Nao retaliated, standing her ground. "No proof. I left you here while I was out. Don't give me that 'proof" crap. You're the only suspect here!" Natsuki screamed at the girl.

"Just get the hell out! I never want to see your face ever AGAIN!" The girl screamed with her last breathe, then began panting.

"F- Fine…" Nao simply said. She turned and ran out of the room. "Natsuki!" Shizuru said in disbelief. "How could you?"

"Don't start with me. Please, Shizuru." Natsuki said as she turned to her. "I would appreciate it if you left as well. I have things that need to get done."

Shizuru just sighed and walked to the door. "Even though this might have been her fault, I still think you need to apologies for what you said. Remember, she has been through a lot lately." Shizuru said, then took her leave.

Natsuki could only look at what used to be her apartment. She sat down on the ground and rested her head in her lap. Just then, she felt a draft coming from the direction of her bedroom. She looked over at her bedroom door. "huh?"

X--X--X--X

Nao stood in the crowd of people the passed by her, as thought she was just a ghost. So many of her emotions were raging inside of her. She could take it anymore.

Tears began streaming down her cheeks. Her world felt like it was collapsing right on top of her. It was so heavy, she fell to her knees. No one even noticed. No one even cared. They all just passed by, along with their lives.

"It's so hard, isn't it?" Nao heard a man's in front of her. "Having to live with while carrying such a burden." Nao slowly opened her eyes and saw the figure standing in front of her. "What if I said I could make it all better."

"Oh yeah. What the hell do you know." Nao barked back. "What does anyone know? They all act like they care. Yet all they do is look down on you and pity you…" Nao said as she let out a few sobs.

The man chuckled. "I know everything, Nao." The man stated. Nao looked up in shock. "How do you-…?" The man put out his hand. "I can help you Nao. I can make all the pain go away. I can fix it for you. All you need to do, is give me your hand." The man said.

Nao didn't know why, but for some reason, her arm moved on it's own. She grasped his hand lightly. "The names Masaru Kenji. Nice to make your acquaintance." Kenji said, with a big devilish grin.

X--X--X--X

**A/N:** Wow… Talk about time. It's been forever since I last worked on this story, eh? Well, fret no more. I shall try and get onto the story more often as long as school doesn't become to much of a problem. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to drop me a review. Bye-Bye!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: You've seen this at least once so I assume you understand where I'm going with this…

**A/N: **Well… Tis' nice to be back (Kinda…). Expect a lot of questioning moments. The description doesn't tell all about the points of this story (Do to me having to little characters to work with). Anyway, I would like to say thanks to all my reviewers/readers. I thank you for your support. Here is the next chapter. Have fun!

X--X--X--X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 09 - Unexpected acquaintances

X--X--X--X

"_Do you think they suspect?" A man in a with a raspy voice and a black suit asked. "No. If all went well, they are still in the dark about everything." Said another man in a white lab coat "How long until the release?" One final man in the background asked. "I'm not sure. It all depends on how willing the host is."_

"_This is outrageous." The man in the black suit said. "You promised we would have the 'absolution' in a few days!"_

"_Calm down. Sooner or later, we will have the key." The man in the lab coat said._

"_Soon. You said that last time, now see where we are. We don't have this kind of time. Sooner or later, the figure heads will get suspicious. You know how they can get, with all their public influences." The man in the background barked. _

"_Like I said, it will take time." The man in the lab coat push up his slim glasses higher onto his nose. "No one ever said this would be easy. It's a delicate process."_

"_Well, I can assure you. If this takes any longer then anticipated, you wont have to worry about the punishments of the higher-ups." The raspy man said._

"_Is that a threat!?" The lab coated man retaliated._

"_No. I see it as a possibility. Don't stall us from our 'absolution' any longer, or your head is mine!" The man in the black suit turned towards the door with the man in the background following him out of the room._

"_Hm… Little by little. The soul will crack, bleeding the holy "absolution". That's no more then a pathetic farce for those who are pathetic."_

X--X--X--X

Natsuki slowly approached her room, little by little. Once she reached it, she walked through the doorway slowly. The blunette scanned the room. "What the hell was that? That… That voice I heard?"

Thinking back, that breeze, along with what it contained, Natsuki couldn't make sense of it. "_Come see? What did it mean? I must be going crazy_." The girl thought to herself.

Just then, she heard something drop. The sound came from the closet. "Hmm…?" Natsuki walked over to the doorway of her closet. She looked at the ground and noticed something that looked like a stone. "What the…?"

Natsuki squatted down to get a better look. The thing appeared to have markings on it. Marking that didn't even seem to look like a human language. Brushing away burnt pieces of what used to be here precious lingerie, and picked up the stone.

Holding it closer, she examined the markings. "_Take me…_"

"Huh?" Natsuki looked around the room to see who said that. "_Accept me…_"

All of the sudden, the stone glowed bright red. Natsuki try to drop the stone, but her hand was stuck… In thin air! "What the!! Hey, let go… whatever you are!" It was futile. Natsuki couldn't let go, let along move her arm. It's like the was someone holding her limb still.

The stone slowly floated three inches above her palm. "_Now, we shall be one!_" The voice said. Suddenly, the stone started splintering, then quickly those splintered pieces started to pierce Natsuki's palm. "AHRG!!…" Natsuki screamed in pain as the stone slowly, but surly, pecame part of her hand.

The splintered pieces started making a shape on her palm, but Natsuki was in to much pain to notice. "AHHHHHHhhhhhhh…" The girl let out one more scream of pain as the final splinter entered her hand.

The grip on her limb finally ceased and the girl pulled her hand back. She examined it.

Her palm was covered in blood. It slowly dripped onto the surface of her burnt floor. "D- Damn…" Natsuki quickly got up and headed to the bathroom. Luckily, the sink was okay enough to use. She turned the faucet and let the cool water stream over her wound. It felt as thought someone jabbed a thousand extremely hot needles into her palm.

Soon, the pain turned into a dull burn. Natsuki turned the faucet off and walked over to her bathroom cabinet. She pulled out everything, looking for something that made it from the fire.

Natsuki was in luck. Some surgical tape and gauss made it somehow. Wrapping the gauss tightly around her palm, she took a deep breathe. "I've got to see a doctor or someone. Eh, Mai's place is closer and I'm sure she has some antiseptic."

Natsuki walked out of her former apartment. Everything was gone. Only a few lucky items that were of little use remained. "Nao… What the hell is wrong with you…"

_**-ZZZZZ, ZZZZZ- **_Natsuki felt a vibration in her pocket. "Hmm… Who could that be?" Natsuki pulled out her cell phone and answer. "Moshi Moshi."

"Natsuki!" Mai's voice was heard over the phone. "Whoa! What's wrong Mai?" Natsuki asked with a voice of concern. "It's Aoi and Chie. Something-… Something bad has happened." Mai sounded choked up. "Wha-? What happened?"

"Get down to the hospital! Hurry!" Mai hung up. Natsuki put her phone back in her pants pocket. And headed out of the apartment complex.

She quickly hoped onto her bike and started it up. Natsuki reached for the throttle, but she could barely grip it. "_Damn… The feeling in my hand is almost gone._" She thought.

"Tch… Seems like I'm going to take a cab." Natsuki turned off her bike and headed for the road by the apartment complex. Soon, a taxi stopped for her. She got in and buckled up. "Where to miss?" The man in the front seat asked. "Fuuka hospital. Step on it." Natsuki demanded.

X--X--X--X

Mai paced back and forth in the lobby. Her composure was breaking apart. "Onee-chan. Sit down. It'll be alright." Takumi said, trying to comfort his sister. Mai looked over at her brother. "I know… It's just. I don't get it. Why would something like this happen? What did they ever do to disserve this?" Mai sat down in a nearby chair, planting her face inside of her hands. "Onee-chan…"

"I'm here." Natsuki said as she ran through the lobby doors. Mai looked over and jumped out off the chair. "Natsuki!"

"What's wrong? What's all the commotion about?" Natsuki asked. "You better come and see for yourself." Mai said as both her and her brother headed for the elevators. Natsuki followed.

After they reached the floor where Aoi and Chie where being kept, the stood outside the door. For some reason, Natsuki felt a wave of Déjà vu. They walked opened the door and entered the room. Natsuki looked at both of the beds that were in the room. One had a very shocked looking Aoi in it, and the other contained what seemed to be an unconscious Chie wrapped up in bandages. She also noticed that Akira was sitting in the room, reading a magazine. "Oh, you're back." The green haired girl said as she got out of the chair and put the magazine down.

Both Mai and Natsuki approached Aoi's bedside. "Aoi… You okay?" Natsuki asked. "NO!" Aoi jump in shock, pulling the covers over herself. Natsuki was taken aback by this behavior. "She's been like this all day." Mai said. She was admitted about an hour ago after a few policeman found her cradling Chie on the side of the street."

Natsuki looked at Aoi's bandaged head, and some of the bruises she could see on a portion of her arm that was not covered with the sheet. "Aoi. What happened?" Mai asked. Aoi slowly let the covers down. "He… He's going to… No, I can't say… I CAN'T!" Aoi flinched, covering the sides of her head with her palms.

"Please, Aoi." Natsuki said. "What happened?"

Natsuki rested her hand on the girls shoulder. Aoi looked over at the girl. "N-… Nao… She's…"

"Nao?" Natsuki question.

"She's… In danger. That man. He's going to kill her." Aoi said, shaking. Suddenly, she quickly turned towards Natsuki and grabbed her black shirt. "Save her! You have to… save her." Aoi began to break out into tears as she collapsed onto the bed.

The doctor then walked into the room. He was pretty old. His hair was gray and he wore slim glasses that were pushed up to the highest point of his nose. "Well, it seems we need to run a few tests. We will ask for you to take your leave now." The man said as he approached Aoi's bedside.

"Y-Yes, sir." Mai said as she and the others walked out of the room to the hallway.

"What was all of that about?" Natsuki asked. "Apparently Nao's been kidnapped by someone." Akira stated. "The only thing we could get out of her till now, was the persons name." Mai added

"And that is?" Natsuki asked with her eyebrow cocked. " Masaru Kenji." Takumi said.

All of the sudden, Natsuki felt a shock run up her spine. She's heard that name before, but she couldn't remember where. For some reason, there was a feeling of ease in her stomach Why did she feel this way? Nao was going to be killed, wasn't she?

X--X--X--X

Nao walked down what seemed to be a never ending flight of stairs. Kenji slowly led her down. Her eyes were as lifeless as a corpse. She felt as empty as a shell, like there was nothing. The girl only followed this man. What dangers were ahead of her, didn't concern her much. Nothing could.

"We're here." Kenji said as they stopped in front of a metal door. Nao watched as the man unlocked it. What if it was a gang pit? Was he going to sell her off to bunch of low lives like some piece of meat? Nothing. No feeling of fear appeared. She just stared at the man's back with a lifeless stare as he unlocked the door.

The door slowly creaked open, and he lead Nao into the room. It was a pretty big room with a circular table at the end of it. There were a series of doors that ran along the back. On the left side of the room, looked to be something of a living area. With a coffee table and two long sofas that made an 'L' shape.

The entire room had the appearance of a cave while that one area looked like something from an apartment room. There was also a large stairway up to a door at the other side of the room. "Christ Kenji! You think it could take you any longer to get here!?" A women's voice was heard. It came from on of the sofas. The girl had short purple hair and wore dark clothing.

"Ah shut your trap. Finding this piece of baggage was hard enough. I don't have the patients to deal with your crap Lily." Kenji stated.

"Hey asshole! I told you not to call me that!" Nao stared at the strange girl. "What the hell are you starin' at, bitch!?" Lilium barked as she got up off the couch and approached the two. Nao just looked away.

"Now, now. Don't be so rude to our guest, Lil." And old man in a butler suit walked over. He had gray hair that went down to his neck and wore small glasses. There was a tall, yet slim man that wore a long black coat and a mask that looked to be a red demon mask from a Japanese festival behind him.

"Can it, Hayato!" Lilium barked. The cloaked man just stood behind and watched the three.

"Damn it Lily, do I always have to come home to your little hissy-fits!" Kenji stomped his foot on the ground. "I said don't call me that!" Lilium shoved Kenji. "Hey!" Kenji barked as he shoved the girl back.

"Enough. Do I always have to break up your miserable fights?" A man said at the top of the staircase asked. Nao and the others switched their attention to the man. He stood pretty tall. He had short, strait brown hair that appeared wet from a shower. He was wearing a black shirt with a brown vest. He was also wearing camouflage pants.

He rubbed the back of his neck with a towel. "Nakamura! Tell this wench to back off! She's beginning to get on my nerves." Kenji barked.

"Oh, then do something then, tough guy!" Lilium retaliated.

"Silence, before I make both of you." Nakamura gave a cold glare. "Y-Yes, sir." Both people quickly stopped.

"Kenji… Man, what took you. I thought you got lost or something." Nakamura said as he walked over to Kenji. "Hey, don't look at me. My flight was delayed." Kenji said, walking over to the living area and sitting down on one of the couches.

"Hmm…" Nakamura directed his attention to the redheaded girl. "So this is her eh?" He said as he took a closer look at the girl. Nao just stood there, looking at the ground.

"Yep. I actually had to beat the living hell out of a couple lesbos just to get some information." Kenji said as he rested his feet on the coffee table.

"By the way. Lilium, did you deliver the stone like I asked?" Nakamura asked, changing his attention to Lilium. "Hmm… Oh, yeah. About that." She said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Seems that the Hierarchs got a little hasty. They sent one of their 'pets' to get her… But the stone was still delivered as planned." Lilium just said. Nakamura just gave her a blank stare. "The thing ate the stone… Didn't it?" Lilium flinched at his question. "Well, no matter. The stone was successfully delivered."

Nakamura just pondered a little about what Lilium had just told him. "Hmm… Their actions are a little premature. We won't be able to monitor them as well if they act to hasty."

Nakamura looked in Nao's direction. He grabbed her hand and led her to the end of the closest couch and sat her down. The tip of his index finger began to glow. "Listen, Nao. I can't have you be like this. I know you've been through quite a bit, but I want you to know, I'm here for you, and you're here for us, alright." Nakamura said in a soft, warm voice.

Nakamura poked the girl on her forehead. There was a small flash of light where the man poked Nao's head. The life returned to her eyes. Suddenly, a swarm of emotions hit her like a truck. Tear began streaming down her eyes. "No… Please stop it…" Nao sobbed as she cradled herself.

"Nao, look at me." Nao looked up into the mans eyes. "We'll help you. I promise. So please, let it all out. We're here for you." Nakamura said in a soft tone. "Heh… I'm not." Nakamura heard Lilium's smug remark, but just ignored her.

Nao then let out a loud sob and collapsed into Nakamura's arms. She couldn't stop. The tears just kept flowing. "That's it. Let out all the regret. All the anger and pain. Don't let it cloud your soul any longer." Nakamura wrapped his arms around Nao, comforting her.

Soon, Nao began to calm down. Nakamura pulled out a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. Nao began to wipe the tears away, but some of them still flowed. "Take it easy, Nao." Nakamura said, resting his hand on Nao's shoulder.

"How… How do you know me?" Nao demanded to know. "Let's just say, we're one in the same." Nakamura said and gave a warm smile. Nao just looked down at her feet and wiped away all her sorrow. "Lilium…" Nakamura stood up. "Go get some decent clothes for Nao to wear."

Lilium just nodded and headed up the stairs on the other side of the room. "Oi, Nakamura-san." Hayato said.

"What's up, Hayato?" Nakamura said as he approached Hayato on the other side of the living area. "Phone. Seems urgent."

Nakamura took the phone from Hayato and started conversing with someone on the other line. Nao could barely hear the conversation. She didn't have a clue what these people wanted, all she knew was that all of her sorrow was disappearing. The chains were finally lifted off of her shoulders. What Nakamura told her, she believed it. She didn't know why, but she trusted them.

Nao looked up at the masked man as he stood over her. "Wh-What?" Nao questioned. The man handed her a glass of cold water.

Nao took the glass and guzzled the water down. All this time, she never realized how thirsty she was. After she was done, she handed the glass back to the strange man. "Thanks." Nao said as she wiped the water off of her upper lip with the handkerchief. The man simply bowed his head and strolled away.

Lilium then walked over to Nao's side with a handful of clothes. "Here, put these on. You look like some midnight sally." Lilium said as she plopped the clothes onto Nao's lap. "What, no dressing room?" Nao sarcastically said. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself." Lilium said and walked away.

Nao put on the clothes. There was a red blouse, along with a black skirt and striped stockings with some tennis shoes.

Nakamura walked back into the living area and handed Hayato the phone. "So, what was the call about?" Kenji asked. "Well, seems the Hierarchs are getting a little to… irritated at the situation. Apparently someone leaked information that we have the girl. Now their furious and their planning on striking at their convenience." Nakamura said.

"That's not very good." Kenji stated and rested his chin on his fist. "Hey. What exactly is going on?" Nao asked as she approached the two men. "Ah, Nao. You look quite lovely in those." Nakamura said with a smile. "Oh really. I bet you think I would look even lovelier wit them off." Nao said with a seductive tone. Nakamura was taken aback at her statement. Kenji just gave a loud whistle.

"Heh… Nice to see you're back to normal." Nakamura said. "Now, I think It's time we informed you on everything that your mother wished to protect you from."

"My… My mother? What does she have to do with anything?" Nao demanded and answer. "Please stay calm." Nakamura said. "Sit down and listen."

X--X--X--X

Seems everything has taken a strange turn. Who are these people and what do they want with Nao? What is this story about? Who are the Hierarchs? Find out in the next chapter of **Endless Darkness**.

**A/N:** Well I can gleefully say that I actually wrote this entire chapter in about 2 ½/3 hours. I guess it's safe to say my tail bone hurts from this very uncomfortable desk chair. Nothing but a half and inch of fluff with metal cushioning. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to drop me a review. I would appreciate it if you would post any kind of spelling/grammatical errors if there are any. See you later!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own this anime. Only this story.

**A/N:** Well, It seems as though my last chapter got some brains a movin' as one might say. Well, since you all are probably wondering, here is the next chapter so you can find out everything. Well… Not everything, just what you will need to know for now. Anyway, enjoy!

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Endless Darkness

Chapter 10 - The Absolution

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Natsuki and the other three stood in the hallway. There was an uncomfortable silence. Mai noticed that Natsuki's right hand was wrapped up in bandages. "Oi, Natsuki. What's wrong with your hand?"

Natsuki raised up her hand and looked at it. "Oh… This." The girl didn't want to worry the anyone, so she just lied through her teeth. "Well… I kinda cut my hand. Heh. I guess I'm not very good with knifes." The girl said scratching the back of her head.

"Here, let me look at it." Mai insisted. Natsuki let out a grunt of pain. Her hand was still very sore from when the stone became infused with her flesh. "No, really. I-it's fine." Natsuki said, taking her hand back.

"Well, alright. I guess It's time that we should be going." Mai said, looking back at Takumi and Akira. Her brother gave a nod in response.

The four walked out of the hospital and headed for the train station. Natsuki didn't really have much of a home to go to. She neglected to tell her friends of the incident tha took place before this one.

Natsuki stop dead in her tracks. "Listen, guys." She started. Mai and the others looked back at her. "What is it, Natsuki?" Mai asked.

"I have a bit of a problem with Nao, actually." Natsuki said as she looked away. "What else is new?" Mai said, cocking her eyebrow. "No, it's not like that. It's just that-…" Natsuki was cut off by screaming that was heard in the background.

Natsuki, Mai and the other two quickly directed their attention to across the street. As the crowed slowly cleared, in the center, there was some type of creature. It looked to have the form of a dog. It's head had some kind of bone like shielding, It had no eyes. It's mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. Along it's was the same kind of bone shielding, along with some spikes that ran down the spinal section. It's skin was black as coal and had the texture of leather. It's paws contained what seemed to be really sharp claws.

Their sight focused on what seemed to be a small child dangling from the mouth of the creature. "Mama!!" The child cried. "Someone please. Help my baby." The mother screamed as she began panicking. "What is that thing?" Both Mai and Takumi asked.

For some reason, Natsuki's hand started burning once again. The dog creature then focused it's attention on Natsuki. Though, it had no eyes, Natsuki could feel it's deathly glare. The dog creature then dropped the child and leaped into the middle of the street, slowly approaching the four people.

Mai realized what was going on. "Natsuki. Let's go." Mai frantically whispered. The blunette could only stand there, starring at the strange creature as it approached. Drool dripped down from its bottom jaw. It breathed heavily, followed by deep growls. "C'mon, Natsuki. Let's go." Mai said, gentle pulling on the girls shirt.

Natsuki starred hard at the creature as images of unknown symbols flashed in her head. All of the sudden, she had a surge run through her body. The girl shoved Mai away. "Get out of here! Hurry!" Natsuki screamed. Then, the creature leaped and tackle Natsuki, carrying her into a nearby ally.

"Natsuki!" Mai yelled, as she ran over to the dark ally. "Natsuki!!" Mai screamed out.

X--X--X--X

Nakamura pulled out a pack of cigarettes and took one out, put it in his mouth and then lit it. "So, where shall we begin…" Nakamura inhaled, then exhaled some of the smoke through his nose.

He took the cig out of his mouth and began to speak. "Your mother, Akemi, was a special kind of person. About five-hundred years ago, a religion was established in the hills of a small village just outside of Europe." Nakamura took another puff, then continued. "The name of the village is 'Kishe'. In the ancient language of the 'absolution', 'Kishe' means forsaken."

Nakamura began to pace back and forth. "It is also the mark the is branded on those that are chosen my the holy gods of the 'absolution', to wield a piece of their power. This is in the religion of the 'absolution'. Or better referred as the forsaken."

Nakamura made a one-eighty turn towards Nao. "The people that practiced this religion were quickly dealt with; they were seen as a threat by the Vatican." Nakamura took another puff, then tilted his head back. "It was a bloody massacre. The entire village was up in flames. Only a few remaining people managed to escape."

"After a few of the remaining survivors reached a curtain point in the Netherlands, they began to repopulate. Hiding their existence for they were afraid if they made themselves to suspicious, the Vatican would be on their doorstep once more." Nakamura rested up against the back of one of the sofas.

"After a while, they began practicing their religion, but this time, it was different. The 'absolution' began practicing and ancient art of black magic, summoning demons from hell and all that jazz."

"Soon, they found something interesting. About two hundred years after their… Forced migration, the HiME carnival started. They somehow managed to gain a piece of that power, and used it to infuse their own in one person. That person is your ancestor. Yuuki Ayane. She fell in love with a man from the Netherlands. Soon, she was converted to the religion of the 'absolution', and infused with the ancient power of the gods."

Nao was trying her hardest to grasp all of this. Her eyes kept wondering around ground as she listened to the story.

"It was said that after three hundred years, there would be an inheritor of the power of the 'absolution' that would bring the sanctuary of the 'absolution' into existence, librating all of the people that are blinded by the lies of reality." Nakamura flicked the butt off the cigarette into a nearby trash-can.

Your mother was the barer of that child. That child is you, Nao. You contain the power of the 'absolution'. This is the truth that your mother so desperately wished to keep from you her entire life."

Nao looked up at Nakamura with a questioning look. "I still don't understand. What was that thing that attacked me? What do you want with me?" Nao demanded as she got up from hear seat.

Nakamura turned around. "If you would please, I am just getting to that part." Nao flinched at Nakamura's icy tone, then sat back down onto the couch.

"Now… Where was I?"

X--X--X--X

Natsuki was slammed through a wall into what seemed to be a broken down building. She tried getting up, but crippling pain knocked her back down. "Da-Damn… cough" Natsuki rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up.

Natsuki then looked up and saw the creature looming over her. The girl quickly forced herself up, ignoring the pain, and tried to get away. Sadly, the dog monster was to fast for her and tackled her to the ground. On her back, the girl coughed up some blood. Wiping it away, she tried once more to get up, but then the monster pinned her down with one of his paws.

The creature's saliva dripped onto Natsuki's face, mixing with some of the blood the was streaming from her forehead. The monster's face was nearly and inch away from Natsuki's. She could smell the awful stench of the dogs breathe. "So this is it…" She said to herself.

The creature slowly opened it's big mouth. "But… I'm not going out without a fight, you BASTARD!" Natsuki the grabbed a nearby piece of cement and shoved it deep into the monsters throat. Gagging, the monster stumbled backwards off of Natsuki.

The girl the got off of the ground and limped her way towards the hole on the other end of the room to escape. The monster then coughed up the rock and dashed at Natsuki.

Just then, there was another surge the went through Natsuki's body. It was different this time, unlike last time when she felt it. This time, she felt powerful.

Natsuki the spun around, delivering a kick the monsters head, sending it flying off to the side. The pain in her body had dissipated. Natsuki felt as light as a feather. Her right hand felt as though it was tingling so she glanced at it and noticed a slight red glow under her bandage.

"What in the..?" Natsuki undid the bandage and found the mark on her hand glowing bright red. The mark looked like a V tilted onto it's right side, then a slash ran across it parallel to the V's angle. Surrounding it were thing lines going around the marking in a circular motion.

Natsuki didn't know what was going on, but she felt super strong, and super fast. She felt as though she could fly. Meanwhile, the creature finally got back onto his feet and charged towards Natsuki.

The blunette took a stance, readying herself for the incoming fight. The monster pounced. Natsuki quickly made a downward swing with her fist, colliding with the monster's skull, crashing it against the ground. She then grabbed one of the dogs front legs and began swinging him around.

"UURRAH!" The girl grunted as she threw the dog across the room.

The creature collided with the wall, causing a series of webbed cracks across it. Natsuki felt incredible. Never has she felt like this. "Hahahaha… This. I can't believe… This is awesome!" Natsuki clenched her fists and grinned.

The monster got back up, and gave a loud growl as a sign that he was going to charge again. Natsuki looked over to her side and saw a steel pipe. She picked it up and swung it in the monsters direction.

As expected the monster charged. As soon as it leaped towards Natsuki, she made a left horizontal swing. She felt as the pipe made contact with the creatures head, her entire body shook. The monster fell to it's paws. Natsuki made another right horizontal swing, colliding the pipe once more with the monsters head.

The creature yelped in pain. Then, Natsuki gave the monster a round house kick into the air. It made a back flip and hit the ground with great force, cracking the cement.

Natsuki chuckled. "Thanks for riding air Kuga."

The monster stumbled back up. Natsuki saw that be cracked the creatures head. She stood watching as the black blood dripped from his skull. The blood was actually giving off some pretty strong fumes.

Natsuki looked over and watched as her pipe was being dissolved by the black blood. She quickly dropped it and looked back over to the monster.

The creature began growling extremely loud. Natsuki heard a cracking noise, like bones cracking. She saw as the bone plates on the dogs back began cracking open. There was also a crap appearing on the front of his skull. "What are you doing this time?" Natsuki question with a cocked brow.

A horn start coming out of the hole in the cracked skull. As eight tentacles also appeared from the cracks on it's back bone plate.

It growled excessively as she could her the cement crack under the dogs paws. It's muscles began to grow pretty big. It's body doubled in size. Finally, two holes appeared on the sides of the creatures skull. It appeared to contain what seemed to be eyes. "_That… Can't be good._" Natsuki thought. After the creature was finished, it directed it's attention to Natsuki.

Natsuki took her stance, ready for anything. Just as she was about to charge the creature, it vanished into thin air. "What the…?" The monster appeared right next to her. The creature then struck Natsuki with it's paw, sending her flying through the back wall into a construction area.

Natsuki could move without the shock of pain jolting through her like electricity. Pushing herself up, Natsuki struggled to get to her feet, just barely able to hold herself strait. Her vision began to blur. Her breathing was heavy. Blood streamed from her head. "Damn it…" Natsuki cursed.

The creature appeared through the hole. Natsuki looked over at the monstrosity. It began opening it's mouth. Saliva dripped onto the ground, as powerful as acid, it started to dissolve the ground where it landed. Natsuki stood ready for anything.

The dog began to growl. It cocked it's head into the air and let out a glass breaking howl. Natsuki covered her ears as she gritted her teeth. The creature let it's head fall to Natsuki's level and opened it halfway. Something appeared just in front of the monsters mouth. Natsuki looked harder at it. It appeared to be a black orb.

Suddenly, the orb grew to the size of a basketball. The atmosphere around the orb became distorted and rippled. "_What-… What is that thing?_" Natsuki thought as her eyes widened.

The creature let out one last howl, and blasted the energy towards Natsuki. It was to quick. The stream was to fast for her to dodge. The area became covered in a black shroud as an explosion could be heard.

X--X--X--X

Nakamura took out his Zippo lighter and began to fiddle around with it. "In this religion, there are five men that lead all of the followers. They are known as the Hierarchs. The Hierarchs wish to use the 'absolution' as a means to "purify" this planet of all the heretics. They plan on killing those that do not believe in their gods."

"They will raise the so called "Sanctuary" where they will live the rest of their existence in harmony. Sadly for them, that isn't exactly what the sanctuary is really about." Nakamura flicked the striker a few times on his lighter. "The 'sanctuary' is actually a source. This source is what powers life itself."

"If their successful in summoning the 'sanctuary' with the power of the 'absolution, all life itself will be torn to shreds. Disturbing such a delicate thing is fatal. That is why you are under our custody." Nakamura pulled out another cigarette from the pack in his vest and lit it.

"As long as you're with us, the Hierarchs wont be much of a problem." Nakamura took a puff and continued. "And to answer your earlier question, that thing that attacked you was one of their 'pets'."

"One of the 'pets'?" Nao asked with a look of confusion. "That's what they call those abominations. Their basically a series of creatures, influenced by some of the 'absolutions' power. They range in a series of classes. There are the Kage, which is one of the ones that you encountered. They are quite deadly in the darkness, but if they are exposed to light, they burst into flames. Their skin is always charred, as if they were burnt."

"Then there are the Kurai. They have the skin texture of leather which is pretty tough to penetrate, and they're pretty fast to boot. Not to mention they have two stages. Their normal ones, then their empowered forms. Last but not least is the deadliest of the bunch. It's the Kizu. They're swift and accurate. Not to mention they fight in packs."

Nakamura threw his cigarette onto the ground and stumped it out. "What about you?" Nao asked. "What about me?" Nakamura cocked his eyebrow at the question. "I mean, what exactly are you trying to accomplish. Are you at war with the Hierarchs or something?" Nao asked, changing her position toward Nakamura.

Nakamura just cocked his head back, as though he was in a deep trail of thought. "About fifty years ago… There was a rebellion. A small group of the 'absolution' dug their noses a little to deep and found something out about the 'sanctuary' that no one else knew. They tried to warn the rest of the people, but they wouldn't listen. The Hierarchs branded them as heretics, and banished them from the new Kishe village. Then, they fled to Japan and lived the rest of their days, forming a group that would overshadow the Hierarchs and their 'absolution'. This group is known as the 'Hangyakusha'. We vowed to stop the Hierarchs at all costs. That is why we exist."

Nakamura turned towards Nao. "Your mother, the holder of the 'absolutions' power, chose to abandon her fate, and joined us. The Hierarchs didn't grow very fond of these turn of events. So even if it means by force, they will drain the 'absolutions' power, summoning the 'sanctuary', and completely destroy everything ."

Nao looked down at her hands. She didn't know if what she was hearing was the truth, or some fabricated tale. All she knew was that something strange was going on. "Heh. I guess I really have no choice." Nao said walking over to Nakamura and holding her hand out. "This all sounds a little far fetched to me, but, I guess I really don't have a say in the matter. My mother trusted you so, I guess I can to." Nakamura gave her a smile and grabbed her hand. They shook on it. "Welcome to the crew." Nakamura said, as he chuckled.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and noticed that she was alive. "Wh-…"

"Ah. I see you're okay. That's good, darling." Natsuki looked up and saw a man wearing a purple jacket with nothing on under it. As well as purple pants. "_A… Circus performer?_" Natsuki thought as she gave the man a strange look. "Oh, what's wrong, sweetie pie? To shocked to say anything?"

The man was wearing eye shadow. He had short, violet hair. He also was wearing black lipstick. "Seems I got here in time. If I didn't, Naka-kun would be furious with me." The man turned around to the beast. "Who… Are you?" Natsuki struggled to ask. Her body was sore all over, it's a wonder she could even speak.

"Don't mind that, darlin'. I can tell you all about my beautiful self later. Right now I have to deal with some canine problems." The man said and smiled.

The dog gave a loud growl, readying itself to strike. "Ooh. Seems someone needs some discipline. What a naughty doggy."

The monster charged at the man. Natsuki noticed the he was holding what seemed to be a metal pen in his hand. "That's it, come to daddy." The man said as he stretched his arm out to the side. The dog demon leaped into the air, literally a few feet away from the two. "Now!" The man yelled.

He swung his arm to the left, and the metal pen elongated into what seemed to be a metallic whip. A crack was heard as the whip made contact with the side of the monster. The creature landed off to the side as blood spilled from the area where the whip had struck. "Hmm… All bark and no bite. I really hate that." The man smirked.

The creature snarled in response. The black blood spilt onto the ground, dissolving the gravel that it covered. The monster made one last attempt, dashing at the two people in front of it. The man only chuckled "You pathetic piece of work, you."

The whip elongated to an even long length. This time, small spikes appeared across it. "Now, let's play!" The man yelled as he cracked the whip. When it made contact, it sliced off a good portion of the creatures right side. It howled in pain and fell to the ground. "Hmm…? Is that it, honey?"

Natsuki could only watch in awe as the monster squirmed on the ground. Then, something caught the bottom of her eye. She looked down and noticed that the whip was slithering towards the creature. It began wrapping itself around the wounded dog demon. The creature could only thrash around in pain.

"Now, now. I know it hurts. So lets end your misery, shall we?" The man said, practically laughing. After it was finished warpping around the monster, the man jerked the handle, causing the whip to constrict the poor creature. The spikes dug deep into it's body, making the creature howl in pain. "Now then. Let's make some décor for this bland heap of rubble." The man let out a laugh and cracked the whip, causing it to rip the monster to shreds.

Natsuki's mouth was gaping. She's never seen such a performance in her life. She couldn't describe what she just saw in words… Well, not yet anyway.

Then, the whip began to retract back to it's normal pen size. The man tucked the pen sized object into the side pocket of his pants and turned towards Natsuki. "Well then. I think it's about time we should go. Naka-kun is expecting you." The man said with a smile. He held out his hand and a light appeared in between the two people. "Wai-…" Natsuki didn't have a chance to speak, as they vanished into thin air.

"Natsuki! Natsuki!" Mai came running through the hole in the building into the construction area. She didn't she anyone around. Though it did look as if a big fight broke out. Akira and Takumi brought up the rear. "Onee-chan. Any sign of Natsuki-san?" Takumi asked as he looked around. "Man, what happened her?" Akira asked as she scanned the area.

Mai fell to her knees. She could only fear the worst. She saw what seemed to be blood on the ground. "No… No!" Mai covered her face with her hands and let out light sobs. "Onee-chan…" Takumi said as he knelt down at her side. "We were to late…"

X--X--X--X

**A/N: **Well, does that answer some of your questions? It should. Anyway, yeah. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to drop me a review. Later!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Own this anime, I do not. Own this story, I must.

**A/N: **Man. I've been listening to Indestructible by Disturbed a for awhile, trying to come up with some interesting fight scenes for the future. Hopefully I have a few good ones that will at least be semi-decent. Anyway, yeah. So, on with the chapter. Tallyho!

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Endless Darkness

Chapter 11 - The Mark of the Kishe

X--X--X--X

"So, what exactly am I to do? I'm being held hostage by some man and his lackeys and I don't even get a phone call or something?" Nao said as she leaned against the back of the couch. "No. Like I said, you're not a hostage. We're simply keeping you out of the sights of the Hierarchs." Nakamura said as he walked over to the kitchen part of the living area.

"Okay. So, since I'm being held in "witness protection", what exactly am I to do? I have this powerful magic, yet I have no idea how to use it." Nao said as she waved her right hand in Nakamura's direction. "Oh… Heh, about that. Yeah, you see, the host of the absolution can't actually 'use' the absolutions power. You just… Hold it, till It's ready to be used." Nakamura smiled and scratched his head.

"Oh… Well, I guess it's no biggie since I have you guys to protect me." Nao said and crossed her arms. Nakamura made a loud hissing noise by breathing through his teeth, then looked back at Nao. "About that… Umm, we're not actually here to "protect you", just to monitor your movements and make sure the Hierarchs don't tail you twenty-four seven… Heh." There was a quick pause, followed by Nao's yelling.

"WHAT! What do you mean you won't protect me!? I mean… You said it yourself. Those Hierarch guys are trying to capture me right!?" Nao said, clenching her fists. "Well, I said that we were her to make sure they didn't capture you. Meaning you would still be alive. But we can't just keep you here of course. You have your own life to tend to and making our existence known to the public would make everything worse." Nakamura pulled a bottle of beer out of the fridge and walked back into the living area.

"Wha-… But… That doesn't make any sense. I mean, if they capture me-…" Nao was cut off by a hissing noise. Nakamura pulled out a two way radio from his vest pocket. "Oi, I'm here." Nakamura said. There was a silence on the other end of the line. "Hey… I said I'm here, Flynn!" Nakamura said with an aggravated tone.

"You forgot to say over, over." A girly voice with a masculine tone said over the radio. "Tch…" Nakamura's grip tightened on the object as he gritted his teeth in anger. "God… I'm here. OVER!" Nakamura screamed into the radio. "Ow… Honey. You don't have to be so rude about it." The girly voice replied.

"You have the package?… Over." Nakamura asked. "Hey, I'm not-…" Nao heard someone say on the other side of the radio, but it was to faint for her to tell who it was. "Yeah, it's here, over."

"Good. Meet you there…" Nakamura said and got off the couch. "Hey, you forgot to sa-…" The voice was cut off as Nakamura killed the radio. "What was that about?" Nao asked. "That… That was about your "protection"." Nakamura smiled as grabbed Nao's hand. "Hey, wait! Hold up a minute." Nao said in protest. "Sorry. No time!" Nakamura said and pulled out a circular object from his pants pocket. In a flash, they vanished.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki sat on a rock, bound by ropes, and bandages on her head and a few of her other wounds. "So, what exactly am I doing in this place?" Natsuki asked as she examined the really large room. It looked like a rodeo ring, only five times the size. There was a lake in the center of the place. Most of the are was covered in green, while the rest seemed to be that of a rocky wasteland.

"Well, were here waiting for your "client"." The man said in a light voice as he through what seemed to be a radio over into a pit. "My "client"? What? Your selling me as some slab of meat to some pervert!?" Natsuki yelled in rage as she clenched her teeth. "Oh please, honey. As if. I probably wouldn't even make a cent off of you with the people I know."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!? You callin' me ugly!? You're no looker yourself, pal…" Natsuki retaliated, the averted her eyes. "No. It's just that all the people I know are women." The man said as he gave Natsuki a big toothy grin. "_If only you knew…_" Natsuki thought as she chuckled.

Just then, a flash appeared behind the man. Both people looked over at the area. "Oh, you made it. Goodie!" The man said and jumped for joy. Natsuki looked as a man stood from where the flash struck. Her had short, strait dirty blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. He was wearing a brown vest with a black shirt and camouflage pants.

The person next to him was a redheaded girl… "N-Nao! What the hell?" Natsuki cocked her eyebrow. Nao looked over and saw Natsuki tied up, sitting on a rock. "What the hell?! What's she doing here?" Nao demanded as she directed her attention to Nakamura. Nakamura only stuck his tongue out playfully at the girl. "You'll find out shortly."

"Ah. So this is the legendary host of the absolution. I guess Kenji finally showed up." Flynn said as he smiled playfully. "Yeah. I should have never given him that vacation in the first place. Not only do I have bill out the ass, I'm now a proud owner of a time share." Nakamura grunted as he tapped his foot on the floor.

"Umm… Hello. You old people can chat about your lives in a little bit. First, tell me what the hell's going on!" Nao demanded as she stomped her foot on the ground. "Ooh. I've never seen this much spunk since Akemi… Like mother like daughter I suppose." Flynn giggled and turned away.

"Hey… What about me!?" Natsuki said as she began kicking the very rock she was sitting on. "Untie me damn it!"

After Flynn, finished uniting the girl, Natsuki delivered a power punch to the man's face. "Ow! What was that for!?" He asked as he rubbed his nose. "That was for making me feel like some two bit hostage." Natsuki said as she rubbed her hand. The man had a surprisingly hard nose.

"Now. Onto bigger matters." Nakamura said. "Nao, I would now like you to meet your new bodyguard."

"What? Bodyguard. Wait, hold up." Natsuki said, raising her hands in objection. "I don't do baby sitting."

"Hey, who you calling a baby! And what is this. You're saying this pathetic excuse for a mutt is going to be my bodyguard?" Nao said as she crossed her arms. "Pathetic!? Come here and say that to my face you little-…" A strange force crushed the two girls. "Silence… You noisy brats!"

The two girls looked over at Nakamura and noticed his cold glare. Their bodies froze. "Y-yes… Sir…" They both said in sync. "Good, now that I have your attention…" Nakamura said as he walked in between two large rock. He took a deep breathe, then kicked the rock to his side, smashing it to bits.

Natsuki and Nao both stood in awe. Nakamura turned to Natsuki and smiled. "Natsuki-san, you are now the official bodyguard of the absolution." He said and approached the two girls. "What?" Natsuki had a puzzled look on her face. Nakamura took her right hand. "This symbol. It's a seal." Nakamura let go of the girls hand. "The seal of the Kiche."

"…I'm not following you…" Natsuki's face was as blank as a fresh piece of paper. Nakamura sighed. "Of course you wouldn't. Now sit down and let me explain."

After about fifteen minutes of explaining, Natsuki's face was still as blank as a piece of paper. "I… I'm… Wow…" Natsuki looked down at the ground. "So you see, Nao is the holder of the absolution, and the Hangyakusha chose you as her protector."

"So… That means that what Nao said…" Natsuki looked over at Nao and noticed she was averting her eyes. "_Nao…_" Natsuki thought as she put her head down.

"Now then. Let's begin." Nakamura said as he clapped once. "Begin what?" Natsuki asked. "Why, your training, of course." Nakamura said and gave her a smile.

X--X--X--X

Mai laid down on her bed, staring at her ceiling. "Is she dead? I should have never let her go alone." The girl thought as she buried her face inside of her pillow.

Mikoto was fast asleep on her bed. Mai could hear her light snores. She couldn't help but chuckle. Mai got off of her bed and walked into her small kitchenette. The girl pulled a glass out of one of the cabinets and put some ice in it from the freezer. She put the glass under some running water and filled it up.

After it was finished filling, she took a few good sips and then set the glass into the sink. "_What's happening. First Nao starts acting strange, now it's Aoi. Plus, Natsuki…._" Mai thought as she looked back at the sleeping Mikoto.

All of the sudden, Mai heard screaming in the distance, followed by sirens. "Hmm…?" Mai walked out onto her balcony and took a look. What she saw was a cloud of smoke. The girl also heard gunshots. "_What's going on over there?_" Mai thought to herself.

"Mai…" The orange headed girl looked over her shoulder and saw Mikoto behind her, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, Mikoto. You're up." Mai said and turned to the girl. "What's that?" Mikoto asked pointing at the cloud of smoke coming from one of the streets. Only the area was hidden by some trees so they couldn't see.

"I'm not sure." Mai said as she looked back over to the smoky are. They heard gunshots once more. This time, Mikoto jumped and latched onto Mai. The girl just smiled. Still, it was strange. Mai kept wondering about what was happening. She turned around to Mikoto and rested her hands on the girls shoulders.

"Listen, Mikoto. I'm going to go see what all the commotion is alright." Mai said. "I'm going to." Mikoto protested, worrying about her friend. "No, Mikoto. You need to stay here. Don't worry, I can handle myself." Mai said with a reassuring smile. Both the girls walked back into the apartment. Mai didn't know why, but she felt as though some of her questions could be answered if she checked the situation out. Even though it seemed really dangerous.

"Mai…" Mikoto said and grabbed the girls shirt. The orange headed girl could only pat Mikoto on the head and smile. "I'll be back. I promise." Mai said and walked out the door. Mikoto stood there, with a heaving feeling in her got. "I'm hungry…"

X--X--X--X

Nakamura took Natsuki into a pretty clear area of the desert where there were very little rocks. "Alright. Here's the deal." Nakamura started. "I'm going to summon some creatures, and you're going to show me how good you are at controlling your powers."

Natsuki only nodded in response. The girl was fairly new to her powers, but she was always confident in her ability. "Alright, her we go." Nakamura said and pulled out an amulet from his pocket. There was a flash behind Nakamura, making Natsuki ready herself for the worst. "Okay, here we go." Nakamura said and cleared the way.

Natsuki looked at the creature with a blank stare. "Bahahhaha…"

"A… Billy goat?" Natsuki let her guard down, and glared at Nakamura. "What do I look like, some kind of-…" Natsuki was cut off by a crushing force to her gut. The goat had unpredictable speeds and head butted her in the gut, sending Natsuki a few yards away on her back. The girl coughed uncontrollably.

"Damn… Goat!" She struggled to say. "Yep. This is Billy. The last thing you want to do is turn your back on him, if you catch me drift." Nakamura said with a chuckle. "I figured he would be a good candidate for your first training session." Nakamura said, putting the amulet back in his pants pocket.

"What!? I have to fight this irritating little meat factory!?" Natsuki yelled as she got up to her feet. Nakamura pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with his Zippo, and exhaled some smoke through his nose. "Well, If you want to learn how to use your powers correctly, then you'll need to learn how to focus them on Billy here." Nakamura said pointing at the Billy goat.

"He has a nicely balanced offence and defense. So I figured, why not use him. He's not really a Kishe pet, so he should be a simple task to overcome." Nakamura sat down on a nearby rock and began puffing on his cig. Natsuki looked at Nakamura then back at Billy.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Natsuki said to herself. The girl prepared herself as she stared at her opponent. "Alright, goat. Let's see what you've got." Natsuki charged the goat and leaped into the air. She delivered a kick to his head. Both Natsuki and the goat stood there. Natsuki and the goat stood there for a second.

Natsuki then grunted in pain and fell to her back, holding her foot in pain. Nao, who was a good fifty yard away from the training area, couldn't believe what she was seeing. Natsuki was fighting a goat. "If only I had my cell phone…" The girl thought, laughing.

Natsuki could hear Nao laughing in the distance. The girl growled and looked over her shoulder at the other girl. "Yeah, I would recommended not actually kicking his head next time. Since it is harder then human bone." Nakamura said chuckling.

Natsuki got back up and gently rested her weight on her damaged foot. "_Note to self, don't kick the goat._" The girl thought as she glared at Billy. Just then, the goat took off toward Natsuki at full speed, horns at the ready. Natsuki saw as the goat approached with great speed. Before the goat made contact with the girl, she leaped over him.

"Ha!" Natsuki gloated as she fell to the ground. Natsuki turned to the direction of the goat and noticed he kept moving. "What the…?"

The goat made contact with a fairly large rock, smashing it to bit. The girl stood in awe of the goats power, as Billy directed his attention to Natsuki. "Yep. You're really going to need your powers to fight Billy. Or you'll end up like that rock." Nakamura chuckled and took another puff of his cigarette.

Nao sat in, her jaw practically on the floor. She couldn't believe what she just saw. That ordinary goat just smashed a rock five times his size.

Natsuki starred at the goat with widened eyes. The goat looked back at her with an intense glare. The girl gulped as the goat began stomping at the ground. "Bahahaha!" The goat charged, it's head at the ready. Natsuki prepared herself, ready to jump at the right time.

"You'll never make it." Nakamura commented as he watched the goat quickly approach the girl. The goat was just a few feet away, then Natsuki jumped into the air once again. Only this time, the goat changed his direction. He quickly leaped up along with Natsuki and collided with her gut.

The girl let out a grunt as the wind literally got knocked out of her. She was sent flying backwards. This time, further then before.

Natsuki hit the ground with great force, then began rolling backwards. "Told you." Nakamura smugly remarked. Natsuki steadily picked herself up onto her feet. "_The force of that blow could have totaled a freight train_." The girl thought as she struggled to breathe.

"Damn it…" Natsuki cursed as she fell to the ground unconscious.

"Hmm… Already?" Nakamura said as he cocked his eyebrow.

Nao watched as she saw Natsuki fall to the ground. The sight of her falling made Nao fell uneasy. Very uncomfortable. Like someone was picking at her stomach. The girl just looked away.

Nakamura approached Natsuki's unconscious body, then looked in the direction of the goat. "Sorry, buddy. Seems we have a little more work to do with her, eh?" The man said and chuckled. The goat nodded his head once in response.

Nakamura pulled out the amulet again and directed it toward the goat. There was a flash and the goat disappeared. Nakamura put the amulet back in his vest pocket and looked back down at the girl. "Man oh man." He lifted the girl onto his shoulder. "Just my luck. I get caught with a talent less weakling."

Nakamura made his way over to Nao and Flynn. "Alright, we're done for now. Lets go back." Flynn nodded in response as he pulled out an amulet just like Nakamura's. It was made out of rock that had the "Kishe" seal on it. Then, they flashed out of the field.

X--X--X--X

Mai approached the area. There was a fairly large fire coming from a small building. "Hmm?" Mai stopped in her tracks. She looked down and noticed she stepped on something. It was a person, a dead person. Mai's eyes widened in shock as she slowly walked backwards. "Wha-… What is this?" Mai thought as she looked over the horrible scene.

Blood covered the parking lot. Mai counted at least nineteen dead body's, along with some limbs. "Gah… Help… Someone please…" Mai heard a voice and directed her attention to the side of the building. A man in a police uniform came crawling from around the back. He was covered in scars. The man noticed Mai standing off to the side of the parking lot.

"Oh, thank god…" The man stretched his hand out towards Mai's direction. "Please… Help me… Before they-…" Just the, a giant hand appeared from around the building and dragged the man back behind it. "Noooooo!!…" The man's agonizing screams echoed through Mai's ears. She could also hear the crunching of bone and ripping of flesh.

"What… I don't." Mai stood there, horrified. She's never experienced something liked this. The creature walked out from around the building and directed itself towards Mai. It looked like a guerilla. It's forearms were almost bigger then it's body. The upper half of it's head had what seemed to be a bone helmet. It had no eyes, and it's entire lower jaw contained multiple razor sharp teeth. Along with a black, leather like skin.

The creature then beat it's chest and let out a mighty roar. Suddenly, a few monkey like creatures surrounded Mai. "What… Are these things?" Mai thought as the creatures closed in. The had no upper skull. It was exposed brain. They had only one green eyes in the middle of their faces. The had no fur, only rotten flesh. They had not flesh around their mouths, only exposed teeth that appeared to be as sharp as the guerillas.

"_Wait a minute… Am I going to die here?_" Mai thought as she quickly double-took back and forth between each creature. The monkey creatures elongated their claws from the fingers. They began chuckling.

One of them lunged for the girl. Mai quickly shielded herself with her arms. The monkey was then knocked back onto it's head. Mai looked to see what happened, and saw Mikoto wielding her Kendo blade.

"Mikoto! What are you doing?" Mai said in confusion. "I told you to wait." Mai said in a more furious tone. "I'm sorry Mai, but you're in trouble." Mikoto said, looking back at the girl. Mai just stared at the girl with a soft expression. "Mikoto…"

Just then, the was a sound of something being struck. Mai looked down at Mikoto's chest and noticed one of the monkeys ran it's claws through the poor girl.

"Mikoto!" Mai screamed as she caught the falling girl. "Mikoto… No! Not you to. Please, say something!" Mai cradled the girl in her arms, looking at the girls lifeless eyes. "No…"

Mai didn't even noticed the monkeys began to pounce in her direction. She looked up and saw one almost two feet away from her face. Then, all of the monkey creatures were knocked away by a couple black, wavy streams. "What the…?" Mai looked over her shoulder and noticed two people were standing behind her.

"Ooh. Seems we made it on time." One of the people behind her said. There was a man dressed up like a butler. He was wearing slim glasses and had grey hair that reached his shoulders. He seemed pretty old. Then the next person. He was wearing a black cloak over himself, and wore what seemed to be a festive red Japanese demon mask over his face.

"Now then, It seems we shall begin." The old man said and looked over at the other person. The man in the black cloak nodded then jumped over Mai towards the creatures.

The old man crouched next to Mai and held out his hand. "If you would please. We don't have much time left to save her." Mai looked over at the man and saw his reassuring smile. Tears were welding up in her eyes as she nodded.

Mai rested Mikoto onto the ground, and the old mans right hand began to glow. Meanwhile, the man in the black cloak spread his arms out from under his cloak and extended his fingers. Each finger had an identical ring on it. From these rings, black streams of light flew out of each one. They resembled Nao's red wire, only they were black.

The streams gallantly danced around on the ground, slashing anything in their path. Each of the monkey creature fell victim to their deadly beauty. Mai watched as the old man slowly began to heal Mikoto's wound. It was slowly disappearing.

The black cloaked man directed his attention towards the guerilla creature. He flung his fingers in it's direction, slicing the beast to bits. The man retracted his arms back into his cloak as the streams quickly dissipated.

"There. The hospital can handle the rest." The old man said and stood up. "Now then, I believe it's time for us to take our leave, don't you agree, Sin?" The old man said as he looked over his shoulder at the other man.

Sin just replied with a simple bow of his head. "Wait… Who are you people. What was that thing?" Mai asked. The old man looked at her and smiled. "That, is not a need to know basis, my dear."

Sin approached the old man. "Now then. Ta-Ta." The old man said, waving his hand. Sin extended his right arm and in a black flash, the vanished. "What… Was that?" Mai thought. She sat in awe of what just happened. Never had she ever imagined something so preposterous could happen.

"Hey you. This is FCPD! Put your hands behind your head and step away from the girl!" Mai looked over and noticed an entire line of police blocking the road where the parking lot exited to. "Huh." Mai was so busy thinking, she didn't notice the police that surrounded the area.

X--X--X--X

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes. She felt as though she was laying on a cloud. Such a cozy feeling. Natsuki looked around the room. It appeared to be a room that of a mansion. "Where am I?" She asked as she began to sit up. "Argn…" The girl grunted in pain and fell back onto the bed. "That's right. That damn goat…"

Natsuki looked to her left and saw a night stand, On it was an electric clock. It read '8:37 PM'. "That's why it's dark in this room."

"So… You're awake." Natsuki heard a voice to her right. She turned her head and saw a figure sitting on the bed next to her. "Who's there?" She demanded to know.

The figure reached over and turned on a lamp on a nightstand in between the two beds. "Calm down. It's just me." Nao said with a strait face. There were only two beds in the entire bedroom. Now that there was some light, Natsuki could get a better look. There was a double door closet on the other side of the room, along with a bathroom off to the right of it. There was also a giant glass window with a balcony on the right. At her left, was a door that she assumed led out of the room.

Natsuki looked back over at Nao. "What are you doing here?: Natsuki asked as she slowly lift her self up. "Eh. I decided to check up on you. Just wanted to make sure you didn't kick the bucket in your sleep." Nao said with a smirk. "Haha. Funny." Natsuki replied.

Natsuki suddenly thought back to the time in her apartment. What she said to Nao. "Oi, Nao." Natsuki said as she directed her attention to the redhead. "About… About that time… At my apartment I mean." Nao's smirk fell and she averted her attention to the other side of the room. "Listen. I know I said some bad things but… I just thought-" "Just thought what?" Natsuki was cut off by Nao. "You didn't believe a word I said. You didn't even consider that I didn't do it. You just blew up at me. You…" Nao was now standing in a furious pose. Her emerald eyes gleaming.

"You hurt me…" Nao said and look at the ground with a sad expression. Natsuki was taken aback by Nao's behavior. She has never seen Nao like this. Well, maybe a few time in the past.

"Nao. I'm sorry." Natsuki said, looking down at her sheets. Nao looked back up with a surprised look on her face. "What did you say?"

"I said… I said I'm sorry, Nao. I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have believed you." Natsuki said and looked into Nao's eyes. Nao suddenly busted into laughter and fell back onto her bed. "Wha-… What's so funny!?" Natsuki yelled. "You… You just looked so pathetic when you said that… That I…!" Nao was gasping for air she was laughing so hard. Natsuki blushed and looked in the other direction.

Nao wiped a tear away and sat in the middle of her bed, holding her knees. Natsuki glanced over at her, then looked back over to the clock on the nightstand. "Something bothering you, isn't it?" Natsuki plainly said. Nao looked over at Natsuki and smiled. "Is it that obvious?" The girl chuckled.

"You make it seem like you want people to notice, it's that obvious." Natsuki said with a chuckle. "So, what is it?" The blunette asked with a questioning look.

"It's… About my mother. Her and all of this business. I really… I really wish…" Nao said as a tear streamed down her cheek. Natsuki noticed this and looked away. "I'm really sorry about your mother, Nao. If there's anything I could do…" Natsuki said and looked back over at Nao. Natsuki noticed that she was standing right next to her bedside, cradling herself and shivering.

"Please… Natsuki… I'm so scared. I haven't felt like this in a long time. My mothers gone… Now all of this. I-… I can't take it…" Nao said and let out a few sobs. Natsuki could only do one thing for the girl… She had to. Nao collapsed into Natsuki's arms and began crying heavier. Natsuki stroked the back of her head.

"To think… I'm being held by you again…" Nao said and took a deep breathe. "Well.. You're scared and alone right… So naturally, someone has to be there for you." Natsuki said. Nao let the warmth of Natsuki's body soak into her own. They both laid down onto the bed and drifted into a deep slumber.

Nao's thoughts kept racing. About what happened. How this all came to be. The last words her mother said to her. All of it. The last thing she saw was Natsuki's face in her mind. One final tear streamed down her eyes as she fell asleep.

X--X--X--X

**A/N: **Well, that about covers chapter eleven. I hoped you liked it. Well, anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter. I sure enjoyed writing it. Please remember to drop me a review. Thanks for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-HiME.

**A/N:** Hello again. It's been quite awhile since I last updated this story, eh? I've been doing some thinking, and I believe it is about time to tell some things about the past that are still unknown. That is what we will be covering in this chapter, though it will not be in three chapters as I claimed it would in the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

X---X---X---X

Endless Darkness

Chapter 12 - Reverse the clock…

X---X---X---X

_-**Ring, Ring**- "Ah!" Nao jump from hearing the phone. Her grogginess was quickly replaced with shock._

_Nao pulled herself off of her bed and picked up the phone. "Hello. Who is this?" Nao asked with an irritated tone. "Is this miss Yuuki Nao's residence?" A light, feminine voice asked over the phone. "Yeah, what about it?" Nao asked. "Yuuki-san, we have some bad news."…_

"_What is it?" Nao asked as her face posed a more serious look. "Your mother, Yukki Akemi, I'm afraid she was involved with an accident." The voice said over the phone. As soon as she said that, the atmosphere in the dorm room changed quickly. "W-What… Kind of accident?" Nao asked, trying to resist loosing her composer._

"_A car accident. Yuuki-san, a car spun out on and your mother was walking along a crosswalk, in the direct pah of the vehicle. I'm sad to say that she has been critically injured."_

_The phone sliped out of Nao's hand and crashed onto the floor. Her eyes were wide open. Nao's knees almost buckled._

"_Yuuki-san…? Yuuki-san, are you there?" Asked the voice over the phone. Nao then quickly dashed out of the dorm room, and headed for the train station._

_The redhead arrived in the heart of Fuuka city. From the train station, she took a taxi to the only hospital in Fuuka._

"_Mama…. Please, be okay…" Nao said to herself, holding back tears. Soon, the taxi arrived at the hospitals entrance. Nao leaped out of the taxi and ran into the hospital at full speed._

_A lady sat at the reception desk. Nao ran up to her, causing the lady to jump a little. "Please! Yuuki, Akemi! Where is she!?" Nao asked frantically. "Hang on one minute, please." The lady replied._

"_I don't have a minute! She had a terrible accident! I need to see her." Nao demanded as tears formed in her eyes. The receptionist looked at the girl, then sighed. "Okay, you win." Nao took a deep breathe._

_After a few keystrokes on the computers keyboard, the lady gave Nao a distressed and disappointed look. "What? What is it!?" Nao asked._

"_I'm sorry, but I have no Yukki, Akemi in this database. Sorry." The lady said looking back to her computer screen. "B-But… That can't be! I got a call… This is the only hospital in this city. She has to be here. Please, check again…!" Nao pleaded the lady as tears streamed down her cheeks. _

"_I'm sorry, but I can't help you. Her name was not logged into the-" The lady was interrupted when Nao slammed her fists on the desk. "You're lying!" Nao accused the lady._

_By now, the commotion attracted a lot of attention from the people in the lobby. Many of them looked at the strange redhead with question. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, or I'll have to call security." The lady said as she slowly got out of her chair and reached for the phone at the side of her computer._

"_I'm sorry, but please! You have to check again… Please…" Nao begged. "Hey, just check one more time." One of the people in the lobby said. Many of the other people agreed with the person._

"_Alright…" The lady sat back down in her chair, and logged into the computer, and commenced a very clean-cut search. The lady hung her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry… She's not logged into the database."_

_It became hard for Nao to breathe. Nao wondered if that call was a prank… Some cruel bastard must be laughing their ass off by now. "Wait…" The receptionist said. "Here she is. Her info was just logged in. She's on the third floor, room D-9." The lady responded to the redhead. Nao then quickly dashed for the stairs. "You're welcome." The lady said to Nao's back._

_Nao made haste, as she didn't want to waste any time getting there. "Mama… Please, stay alive." Nao thought as she made it to the third floor. After a minute of searching, Nao made it to room D-9. The girl heard a couple of voices beyond the door. "Who's that?" Nao thought as she quickly reached for the doorknob._

_The girl practically knocked the door in, she rushed so quickly. Nao saw a doctor that looked to be in his sixties, and a nurse that looked to be in her twenties._

"_Ah. You must be Yuuki Nao, no?" The doctor asked as he turned toward her. Her had gray hair along with a mustache. He also wore fine, thin glasses that rested on the end of his nose._

_Nao looked over to the ed that the nurse and doctor surrounded. "Mama… No…" Nao slowly approached the bed. Akemi was badly hurt. Both of her legs were in a cast, her right arm was as well. A bandage was around her head, and an oxygen mask was over her mouth. The women was also hooked up to a pulse monitor._

_Akemi looked over to Nao and smiled. "Hey, sweetie… I'm sorry. I could get you favorite dinner made- *cough*" Akemi was cut off by a series of coughs._

"_Mama… Why?" Nao asked as she stood at Akemi's bedside, tears streaming down her face. "I guess… I guess I just wasn't meant to see you grow into a beautiful women…"_

_Akemi reached up and wiped the tears from Naos left cheek, then rested her hand on it. "Nao… I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to see you grow."_

"_No, mama. Don't apologize. It's not your fault… You were just-…" Nao began whimpering as she grabbed Akemi's left hand which rested on her cheek. Tears began to collect in Akemi's eyes._

"_Nao… Please. Don't cry for me. I was such a terrible mother. Not being able to spend enough time with you… Missing so many birthdays…"_

"_No… No you weren't. You were the best…. The best mom I could ever ask for. Please… Don't die on me. I can't go through that again…" Nao said, releasing a few sobs afterwards._

"_Oh, Nao…" A fewtears streamed down Akemi's face. "Please, Nao. Listen." Akemi asked as she shakily took Nao's right hand. The women planted something in it._

_Nao analyzed the object and saw that it was a heart shaped locket. The locket itself was gold, and there was a red gem in the center. "What is this?" Nao asked with look of confusion._

"_That locket… Was given to me by your father… Please, Nao. Find him. Find him, for me, for you… *cough* *cough*"_

_Nao was stunned at what her mother had just said. "Wh-… What? What are you talking about, mama?" Nao asked as she hesitantly smiled. "Please… Find your father. Tell him… Tell him that I am sorry. And please… Protect this locket with your li-…"_

_Akemi let out one last breathe. Her hand which was gripped by Nao's, lost all it's strength. Her eye's dimmed as her pulse monitor flat-lined. "Mama? No… Mama! Please… Don't go! Mama!" Nao yelled as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Hurry! Get her to the O.R.!" The doctor yelled. "MAMAAAA!!!"_

X---X---X---X

_Nao stood on the beach by the ocean, looking out onto the endless water. So many emotions were running through her. One thing in particular was on her mind. What her mother said before she died. "Find your father. Tell him I'm sorry."_

"_Tell him you're sorry? That bastard should be apologies to you… To us." Nao looked at the locket that laid in the palm of her hand. "He abandoned us when I was little. I can't even remember what he looks like. Yet, you still love him so much… Why!?" Nao collapsed to her knees and punched the sand with her right fist._

"_That bastard made our lives so miserable! Making you work most of the time… Leaving you with raising me all by yourself. You were so lonely and sad, yet you held a smile around me. That bastard doesn't even deserve to live!" Nao's slowly rested her forehead on the cold, soft sand._

"_Yet… Why?" Nao asked. "Why do you still love him?"_

_Nao remembers her mother talking about her father, how they were so in love, how he would always tell her that he would be there for her forever, and a lot of other romantic things._

"_If he loved you so much… Why. Why did he leave you? Why did he leave me?" Nao steadily got back onto her feet. "Mama… I'm so sorry, but I can't fulfill your wish. I can't even stand to think about him… I'm sorry…" Nao sat down on the sand, resting her head into her arms that rested on her legs, and began to cry._

X---X---X---X

Nao's eyes slowly flickered open. Moonlight cascaded across her face. It came from the large window at the side of the room. The looked up and saw Natsuki's sleeping face. Nao slowly chuckled as she realized that she was wrapped in the other girls arms. Her body was warm and so inviting. Nao rested her head back down onto her pillow.

"_Mama… You must have been real strong. To be able to survive through all of this. I don't know Where this path will take me, but prey that someday, I'll be able to find my father, so I my take my revenge on making us so miserable._" Nao took the locket that was around her neck and looked at it. The girl has tried multiple times before, yet has failed to open the thing.

Nao looked at Natsuki and smiled. She rested her head into Natsuki's chest and slowly fell back to sleep. "_Mama… Thank you, for everything._"

X---X---X---X

What is contained inside this locket? Will it help Nao, or will it make everything worse for her? Find out in the next chapter of **Endless Darkness.**

**A/N:** Short but sweet. I hope you think the same as well. Sorry for the delay's on my stories. Though I just released a new one, I anticipated that it wouldn't receive a lot of attention due to it being a main character paired with an OC, but, meh. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I also hoped this cleared up something for you. Catch you on the flip side!


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